Related Experiment Videos
Neonatal thyroid disease: differential expression in three successive offspring
P Fort1, F Lifshitz, M Pugliese
1Department of Pediatrics, North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, New York 11030.
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
|March 1, 1988
Summary
Neonatal thyroid disease can present differently in infants born to mothers with autoimmune thyroid disease. Maternal antibodies can cause either hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism in newborns.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Immunology
- Neonatology
Background:
- Autoimmune thyroid disorders in mothers can affect neonatal thyroid function.
- Neonatal thyroid disease encompasses hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism in infants.
- The spectrum of neonatal thyroid dysfunction requires further elucidation.
Observation:
- A mother with autoimmune thyroiditis had three children with varying thyroid dysfunction.
- The second child experienced transient neonatal hyperthyroidism.
- The third child presented with neonatal hypothyroidism.
Findings:
- Maternal serum contained long-acting thyroid stimulator and antithyroid microsomal antibodies.
- Maternal serum later showed thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulins and TSH-blocking inhibitory immunoglobulins.
- TSH-blocking inhibitory immunoglobulins were transferred to the third newborn, resolving over six weeks.
Implications:
- This case expands the known spectrum of neonatal thyroid disease.
- Maternal antibody type (stimulating vs. blocking) may dictate the neonatal thyroid syndrome.
- Understanding maternal antibody dynamics is crucial for managing neonatal thyroid dysfunction.