Skip to main content
PMC home page
Archives of Disease in Childhood logoLink to Archives of Disease in Childhood
. 1985 Feb;60(2):141–144. doi: 10.1136/adc.60.2.141

Neonatal thyroid function: influence of perinatal factors.

R C Franklin, L M Carpenter, C M O'Grady
PMCID: PMC1777127  PMID: 3977386

Abstract

Indices of thyroid function were measured in 229 healthy term neonates at birth and at 5, 10, and 15 days of age. Results were analysed to assess whether maternal diabetes mellitus, toxaemia of pregnancy, intrapartum fetal distress, duration of labour, method of delivery, asphyxia at birth, race, sex, birthweight, birth length, head circumference, or method of feeding influenced any index. Thyroxine, the free thyroxine index, and free thyroxine concentrations at birth correlated with birthweight. Method of delivery influenced mean thyroxine and free thyroxine index values at birth and at age 5 days. Mean values of triiodothyronine, reverse triiodothyronine, thyroxine binding globulin, and thyroid stimulating hormone were not affected by any of the perinatal factors studied. Birthweight and perhaps method of delivery should be taken into account when interpreting neonatal thyroxine parameters but determination of thyroid stimulating hormone as a screen for congenital hypothyroidism in healthy term neonates circumvents these considerations.

Full text

PDF
142

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bernard B., Oddie T. H., Fisher D. A. Correlation between gestational age, weight, or ponderosity and serum thyroxine concentration at birth. J Pediatr. 1977 Aug;91(2):199–203. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(77)80812-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Buckfield P. M., Clarkson J. E., Herbison G. P. Sex specific growth centiles at 28-42 weeks gestation New Zealand European infants. N Z Med J. 1982 Sep 8;95(715):615–617. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Byfield P. G., Bird D., Yepez R., Land M., Himsworth R. L. Reverse triiodothyronine, thyroid hormone, and thyrotrophin concentrations in placental cord blood. Arch Dis Child. 1978 Aug;53(8):620–624. doi: 10.1136/adc.53.8.620. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cavallo L., Margiotta W., Kernkamp C., Pugliese G. Serum levels of thyrotropin, thyroxine, 3,3',5-triiodothyronine and 3,3',5'-triiodothyronine (reverse T3) in the first six days of life. Acta Paediatr Scand. 1980 Jan;69(1):43–47. doi: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1980.tb07027.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Cuestas R. A. Thyroid function in healthy premature infants. J Pediatr. 1978 Jun;92(6):963–967. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(78)80378-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Fisher D. A., Dussault J. H., Sack J., Chopra I. J. Ontogenesis of hypothalamic--pituitary--thyroid function and metabolism in man, sheep, and rat. Recent Prog Horm Res. 1976;33:59–116. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-12-571133-3.50010-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Jacobsen B. B., Hummer L. Changes in serum concentrations of thyroid hormones and thyroid hormone-binding proteins during early infancy. Studies in healthy fullterm, small-for-gestational age and preterm infants aged 7 to 240 days. Acta Paediatr Scand. 1979 May;68(3):411–418. doi: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1979.tb05029.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Klein A. H., Oddie T. H., Parslow M., Foley T. P., Jr, Fisher D. A. Developmental changes in pituitary-thyroid function in the human fetus and newborn. Early Hum Dev. 1982 Sep;6(4):321–330. doi: 10.1016/0378-3782(82)90070-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kok J. H., Hart G., Endert E., Koppe J. G., de Vijlder J. J. Normal ranges of T4 screening values in low birthweight infants. Arch Dis Child. 1983 Mar;58(3):190–194. doi: 10.1136/adc.58.3.190. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Montalvo J. M., Wahner H. W., Mayberry W. E., Lum R. K. Serum triiodothyronine, total thyroxine, and thyroxine to triiodothyronine ratios in paired maternal-cord sera and at one week and one month of age. Pediatr Res. 1973 Aug;7(8):706–711. doi: 10.1203/00006450-197308000-00006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. O'Grady C. M., Franklin R. C. Thyroid hormone concentrations and free thyroxine status in neonatal venous and capillary serum pairs. Ann Clin Biochem. 1984 Jul;21(Pt 4):306–309. doi: 10.1177/000456328402100413. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Oddie T. H., Bernard B., Klein A. H., Fisher D. A. Comparison of T4, T3, rT3 and TSH concentrations in cord blood and serum of infants up to 3 months of age. Early Hum Dev. 1979 Sep;3(3):239–244. doi: 10.1016/0378-3782(79)90032-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Pezzino V., Filetti S., Belfiore A., Proto S., Donzelli G., Vigneri R. Serum thyroglobulin levels in the newborn. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1981 Feb;52(2):364–366. doi: 10.1210/jcem-52-2-364. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Thomas A. L., Krane E. J., Nathanielsz P. W. Changes in the fetal thyroid axis after induction of premature parturition by low dose continuous intravascular cortisol infusion to the fetal sheep at 130 days of gestation. Endocrinology. 1978 Jul;103(1):17–23. doi: 10.1210/endo-103-1-17. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Uhrmann S., Marks K. H., Maisels M. J., Friedman Z., Murray F., Kulin H. E., Kaplan M., Utiger R. Thyroid function in the preterm infant: a longitudinal assessment. J Pediatr. 1978 Jun;92(6):968–973. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(78)80379-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Archives of Disease in Childhood are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES