Plasma thyrotropin bioactivity in Down's syndrome children with subclinical hypothyroidism

Subclinical hypothyroidism occurs in a number of children with Down's syndrome (DS). The reason for the mildly elevated plasma thyrotropin (TSH) concentrations is not known. The present study investigated whether decreased TSH bioactivity plays a role in this phenomenon.

A retrospective study of plasma specimens from DS children with mildly elevated plasma TSH concentrations and thyroid hormone levels within the reference range, using a TSH receptor-adenylate cyclase mediated bioassay.

Strain JP26 Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, stable transfected with the human TSH receptor, were incubated with unfractionated plasma (1/10 diluted in hypotonic incubation medium) of 10 DS children with subclinical hypothyroidism and nine euthyroid children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus as controls. cAMP released in the incubation medium was measured by RIA. Mock-transfected CHO cells were used to correct for non-specific CHO response. WHO Second International Reference Preparation of human TSH was dissolved and diluted in pooled normal human plasma and simultaneously bioassayed to match patient and control results.

Plasma TSH levels were slightly increased in DS (mean +/- S.D., 6.5+/-1.3 mU/l, reference range 0.4-4.0 mU/l). Plasma TSH levels for controls (1.3+/-0.4 mU/l) were within the reference range. Plasma thyroid hormone levels in patients and controls were normal, plasma TSH binding inhibitory immunoglobulin and thyroid peroxidase antibodies were negative. cAMP levels (corrected for non-specific CHO response) in DS patients (18.4+/-3.9 pmol/well) and in controls (14.3+/-1.3 pmol/well) did not significantly differ from cAMP levels generated by patient-TSH equivalent TSH standards (16.3+/-0.9 pmol/well).

The present results demonstrate normal TSH bioactivity in plasma of DS children, indicating that subclinical hypothyroidism in these patients is of primary (thyroidal) origin.