Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 19, 2026
Implantation of Total Artificial Heart in Congenital Heart Disease
Published on: July 18, 2014
Congenital Heart Disease and Thyroid Dysfunction: Combination, Association, and Implication
Reut Kassif Lerner1,2, Noah Gruber2,3, Uri Pollak4,5,6,7
1Department of Pediatrics, The Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.
Insights
Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) often have thyroid dysfunction. Routine thyroid function monitoring is recommended, but treatment decisions require careful consideration of individual patient factors.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Congenital heart disease (CHD) is linked to a higher incidence of thyroid dysfunction due to shared embryonic and genetic origins.
- Thyroid hormone imbalances significantly impact cardiac function in pediatric patients.
- Medical procedures like cardiac catheterization and surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass can alter thyroid hormone levels independently of primary thyroid disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between congenital heart disease in children and thyroid dysfunction.
- To review current practices and debates regarding the monitoring, intervention, and treatment of thyroid dysfunction in this population.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Clinical Key, and Cochrane Library.
- Keywords included congenital heart disease/surgery, cardiopulmonary bypass, thyroid hormones, sick euthyroid syndrome, and cardiac catheterization.
- Studies were limited to English-language publications focusing on children aged 0-18, with relevant adult studies also reviewed.
Main Results:
- Evidence supporting specific treatments for thyroid dysfunction in children with congenital heart disease is limited.
- Current literature highlights the need for routine thyroid function monitoring in these patients.
- Therapeutic decisions for thyroid hormone supplementation should be individualized based on symptoms and dysfunction severity.
Conclusions:
- There is a notable lack of robust evidence to guide treatment protocols for thyroid dysfunction in pediatric congenital heart disease patients.
- Further adequately powered studies are essential to establish uniform treatment recommendations.
- Ongoing monitoring of thyroid function is crucial for children with congenital heart disease.
Background:
Patients with congenital heart disease have higher prevalence of thyroid dysfunction due to embryonic and genetic coexistence. Marked changes in cardiac function occur secondary to alternations in thyroid hormone levels. Cardiac catheterizations or cardiac surgeries with cardiopulmonary bypass can cause abnormalities in the circulating hormones, in the absence of primary thyroid disease. Therefore, monitoring of thyroid function should be routinely performed in children with congenital heart disease. Thyroid hormone supplementation has been postulated as a possible therapeutic option; however, the therapeutic decisions should be made based on individual circumstances, symptoms, and the severity of the thyroid dysfunction.
Objectives:
To describe the correlation between congenital heart disease in children and thyroid dysfunction and the debate on monitoring, intervention, and treatment.
Methods:
PubMed, Clinical Key, and the Cochrane Library were searched using keywords relevant to congenital heart disease/surgery, cardiopulmonary bypass, thyroid hormones, sick euthyroid syndrome, and cardiac catheterization. Studies were limited to the English language and to children 0 to 18 years old. Studies in adults with important findings were reviewed as well. All clinical studies believed to have relevance were considered. All relevant studies were reviewed, and the most pertinent data were incorporated in this review.
Conclusion:
There is lack of significant evidence concerning treatment for thyroid dysfunction in children with a congenital cardiac diagnosis. Adequately powered studies are needed before a uniform recommendation about treatment can be made.
Related Concept Videos
07:27Implantation of Total Artificial Heart in Congenital Heart Disease
04:39Generation of a Mouse Spontaneous Autoimmune Thyroiditis Model
08:28Analysis of Congenital Heart Defects in Mouse Embryos Using Qualitative and Quantitative Histological Methods
09:39Mapping Dysfunctional Protein-Protein Interactions in Disease
07:13A Rat Model of Pressure Overload Induced Moderate Remodeling and Systolic Dysfunction as Opposed to Overt Systolic Heart Failure
03:02Orthotopic Inoculation of Thyroid Cancer Cells into Murine Thyroid: A Procedure to Establish Orthotopic Thyroid Cancer Mouse Model