Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011;3(1):18-21.
doi: 10.4274/jcrpe.v3i1.04. Epub 2011 Feb 23.

Evaluation of thyroid functions with respect to iodine status and TRH test in chronic autoimmune thyroiditis

Ayça Törel Ergür  1 , Olcay Evliyaoğlu, Zeynep Şıklar, Pelin Bilir, Gönül Öcal, Merih Berberoğlu
Affiliations

Evaluation of thyroid functions with respect to iodine status and TRH test in chronic autoimmune thyroiditis

Ayça Törel Ergür et al. J Clin Res Pediatr Endocrinol. 2011.

Abstract

Objective: Chronic autoimmune thyroiditis (CAT) is the most common form of thyroiditis in childhood and a frequent cause of acquired hypothyroidism. The objective of this study was to evaluate the thyroid status of children and adolescents with CAT with respect to iodine status and diagnostic values of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) test.

Methods: Seventy-one children (mean age: 11.6 years) were studied in a retrospective analysis. Free thyroxine (T4), thyrotropin (TSH), TSH response to TRH test, thyroid autoantibodies, thyroid sonography, and urinary iodine excretion (UIE) were evaluated.

Results: At diagnosis, 8.5% of patients had overt hypothyroidisim and 36.6% subclinical hypothyroidism; 5.6% had overt hyperthyroidisim and 8.5% had subclinical hyperthyroidism. Of them, 40.8% were euthyroid. Median UIE was 51 mg/L in overt hypothyroidism and 84 mg/L in subclinical hypothyroidism. The values were 316 mg/L and 221 mg/L in overt and subclinical hyperthyroidism, respectively. Basal TSH showed a strong correlation with peak TSH level on TRH test. Thirty-four percent of patients with normal basal TSH level showed an exaggerated TSH response.

Conclusion: Iodine deficiency was seen more in cases with hypothyroidism, while excess of iodine was observed to be more frequent in hyperthyroid patients. Iodine status was a strong predictorof the thyroid status in CAT. TRH test may be helpful in further delineating patients with subclinical hypothyroidism.

Keywords: Chronic autoimmune thyroiditis; adolescent; childhood.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Thyroid status in the CAT patients CAT: chronic autoimmune thyroiditis
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Cordray JP, Nys P, Merceron RE. Acquired childhood and juvenile subclinical hypothyroidism with or without goitre. Presse Med. 2005;26:285–288. - PubMed
    1. Wales JK. Evaluation of Growth Disorders. In: Brook C, Clayton P, Brown R, editors. Brook’s Clinical Pediatric Endocrinology 6th ed. Chichester: Blackwell Publishing; 209. pp. 124–154.
    1. Poskitt EM European Childhood Obesity group. Defining childhood obesity: the relative body mass index (BMI). Acta Paediatr. 1995;84:961–963. - PubMed
    1. Perez C, Scrimshaw S, Munoz A. Technique of endemic goiter surveys. In Endemic Goiter. Geneva: WHO; 1960. pp. 369–383. - PubMed
    1. Keefer J. Preanalytic considerations in testing thyroid function. Clinical Chemistry. 1996;42:125–134. - PubMed

Supplementary concepts