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 Vol. 20 No. 3, September 2008
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AAP Grand Rounds 20:31-32 (2008)
© 2008 American Academy of Pediatrics

ENDOCRINOLOGY

"False-Positive" Newborn Thyroid Screen May Predict Future Subclinical Hypothyroidism

Source: Leonardi D, Polizzotti N, Carta A, et al. Longitudinal study of thyroid function in children with mild hyperthyrotropinemia at neonatal screening for congenital hypothyroidism. J Clin Endocrin Metab. Rapid Electronic Publication first published on April 29, 2008; doi:10.1210/jc.2007-2612

The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.


PICO

Question: Are infants with mild hyperthyrotropinemia in the newborn period at increased risk for later abnormal thyroid function and morphology?

Question type: Epidemiology

Study design: Prospective cohort study

 

To better understand the natural history of children with unexplained transient increase in thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in the newborn period, researchers from the University of Catania in Catania, Italy, followed children who had a "false positive" newborn thyroid screen into late childhood.

This study was an extension of previously published work describing children with transient increase in TSH who, when studied at 16–44 months of age, demonstrated a high incidence (50%) of subclinical hypothyroidism.1 Infants with Down syndrome, prematurity, small for gestational age, and newborns of thyroid autoimmunity-positive mothers were excluded.

Thyroid function and morphology in children with transient unexplained hyperthyrotropinemia in infancy were compared with control children who had normal newborn TSH levels at three time periods: age 16–44 months, age 4.1–6.6 years, and age 7.2–9.5 years. Measures of function included TSH, free . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Surendra K. Varma, MD, FAAP
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX