Foetal and neonatal thyroid disorders

Abstract

Thyroid hormones have been shown to be absolutely necessary for early brain development. During pregnancy, both maternal and foetal thyroid hormones contribute to foetal brain development and maternal supply explains why most of the athyreotic newborns usually do not show any signs of hypothyroidism at birth. Foetal and/or neonatal hypothyroidism is a rare disorder. Its incidence, as indicated by neonatal screening, is about 1:4000. Abnormal thyroid development (i.e. agenesia, ectopic gland, hypoplasia) or inborn errors in thyroid hormone biosynthesis are the most common causes of permanent congenital hypothyroidism. Recent studies reported that mutations involving Thyroid Transcriptor Factors (TTF) such as TTF-1, TTF-2, PAX-8 play an important role in altered foetal thyroid development. Deficiency of transcriptor factor (Pit-1, Prop-1, LHX-3) both in mother and in the foetus represents another rare cause of foetal hypothyroidism. At birth clinical picture may be not always so obvious and typical signs appear only after several weeks but a delayed diagnosis could have severe consequences consisting of delayed physical and mental development. Even if substitutive therapy is promptly started some learning difficulties might still arise suggesting that intrauterine adequate levels of thyroid hormones are absolutely necessary for a normal neurological development. Placental transfer of maternal antithyroid antibodies inhibiting fetal thyroid function can cause transient hypothyroidism at birth. If the mother with thyroid autoimmune disease is also hypothyroid during pregnancy and she doesn't receive substitutive therapy, a worse neurological outcome may be expected for her foetus. Foetal and/or neonatal hyperthyroidism is a rare condition and its incidence has been estimated around 1:4000-40000, according to various authors. The most common causes are maternal thyroid autoimmune disorders, such as Graves' disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Rarer non autoimmune causes recently identified are represented by TSH receptor mutations leading to constitutively activated TSH receptor. Infants born to mothers with Graves' history may develop neonatal thyrotoxicosis. Foetal/neonatal disease is due to transplacental thyrotrophin receptor stimulating antibodies (TRAb) passage. It's extremely important recognizing and treating Graves' disease in mothers as soon as possible, because a thyrotoxic state may have adverse effects on the outcome of pregnancy and both on the foetus and newborn. Thyrotoxic foetuses may develop goitre, tachycardia, hydrops associated with heart failure, growth retardation, craniosynostosis, increased foetal motility and accelerated bone maturation. Neonatal Graves' disease tends to resolve spontaneously within 3-12 weeks as maternal thyroid stimulating immunoglobulins are cleared from the circulation but subsequent development may be impaired by perceptual motor difficulties. Hashimoto's thyroiditis is a very common autoimmune thyroid disease. In presence of maternal Hashimoto's thyroiditis, there are usually no consequences on foetal thyroid, even if antiTPO and antiTg antibodies can be found in the newborn due to transplacental passage. However there are some literature reports describing foetal and neonatal hyperthyroidism in the affected mothers' offspring.