INTRODUCTION Pregnancy has a profound impact on the thyroid gland and thyroid function. The gland increases 10% in size during pregnancy in iodine-replete countries and by 20%-40% in areas of iodine deficiency. Production of thyroxine (T 4 ) and triiodothyronine (T 3 ) increases by 50%, along with a 50% increase in the daily iodine requirement. These physiological changes may result in hypothyroidism in the later stages of pregnancy in iodine-deficient women who were euthyroid in the first trimester. The range of thyrotropin (TSH), under the impact of placental human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), is decreased throughout pregnancy with the lower normal TSH level in the first trimester being poorly defined and an upper limit of 2.5 mIU/L. Ten percent to 20% of all pregnant women in the first trimester of pregnancy are thyroid peroxidase (TPO) or thyroglobulin (Tg) antibody positive and euthyroid. Sixteen percent of the women who are euthyroid and positive for TPO or Tg antibody in the first trimester will develop a TSH that exceeds 4.0 mIU/L by the third trimester, and 33%-50% of women who are positive for TPO or Tg antibody in the first trimester will develop postpartum thyroiditis. In essence, pregnancy is a stress test for the thyroid, resulting in hypothyroidism in women with limited thyroidal reserve or iodine deficiency, and postpartum thyroiditis in women with underlying Hashimoto's disease who were euthyroid prior to conception.Knowledge regarding the interaction between the thyroid and pregnancy/the postpartum period is advancing at a rapid pace. Only recently has a TSH of 2.5 mIU/L been accepted as the upper limit of normal for TSH in the first trimester. This has important implications in regards to interpretation of the literature as well as a critical impact for the clinical diagnosis of hypothyroidism. Although it is well accepted that overt hypothyroidism and overt hyperthyroidism have a deleterious impact on pregnancy, studies are now focusing on the potential impact of subclinical hypothyroidism and subclinical hyperthyroidism on maternal and fetal health, the association between miscarriage and preterm delivery in euthyroid women positive for TPO and/or Tg antibody, and the prevalence and long-term impact of postpartum thyroiditis. Recently completed prospective randomized studies have begun to produce critically needed data on the impact of treating thyroid disease on the mother, fetus, and the future intellect of the unborn child.It is in this context that the American Thyroid Association (ATA) charged a task force with developing clinical guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disease during pregnancy and the postpartum. The task force consisted of international experts in the field of thyroid disease and pregnancy, and included representatives from the ATA, Asia and Oceania Thyroid Association, Latin American Thyroid Society, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Midwives Alliance of North America. Inclusion of thyroidologists, obstetricians, and midwives ...

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This guideline has been produced as the official statement of the European Thyroid Association guideline committee. Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) in pregnancy is defined as a thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level above the pregnancy-related reference range with a normal serum thyroxine concentration. Isolated hypothyroxinaemia (defined as a thyroxine level below the 2.5th centile of the pregnancy-related reference range with a normal TSH level) is also recognized in pregnancy. In the majority of SCH the cause is autoimmune thyroiditis but may also be due to iodine deficiency. The cause of isolated hypothyroxinaemia is usually not apparent, but iodine deficiency may be a factor. SCH and isolated hypothyroxinaemia are both associated with adverse obstetric outcomes. Levothyroxine therapy may ameliorate some of these with SCH but not in isolated hypothyroxinaemia. SCH and isolated hypothyroxinaemia are both associated with neuro-intellectual impairment of the child, but there is no evidence that maternal levothyroxine therapy improves this outcome. Targeted antenatal screening for thyroid function will miss a substantial percentage of women with thyroid dysfunction. In children SCH (serum TSH concentration >5.5-10 mU/l) normalizes in >70% and persists in the majority of the remaining patients over the subsequent 5 years, but rarely worsens. There is a lack of studies examining the impact of SCH on the neuropsychological development of children under the age of 3 years. In older children, the evidence for an association between SCH and impaired neuropsychological development is inconsistent. Good quality studies examining the effect of treatment of SCH in children are lacking.

Unrecognized congenital hypothyroidism leads to mental retardation. Newborn screening and thyroid therapy started within 2 weeks of age can normalize cognitive development. The primary thyroid-stimulating hormone screening has become standard in many parts of the world. However, newborn thyroid screening is not yet universal in some countries. Initial dosage of 10 to 15 g/kg levothyroxine is recommended. The goals of thyroid hormone therapy should be to maintain frequent evaluations of total thyroxine or free thyroxine in the upper half of the reference range during the first 3 years of life and to normalize the serum thyroid-stimulating hormone concentration to ensure optimal thyroid hormone dosage and compliance.Improvements in screening and therapy have led to improved developmental outcomes in adults with congenital hypothyroidism who are now in their 20s and 30s. Thyroid hormone regimens used today are more aggressive in targeting early correction of thyroid-stimulating hormone than were those used 20 or even 10 years ago. Thus, newborn infants with congenital hypothyroidism today may have an even better intellectual and neurologic prognosis. Efforts are ongoing to establish the optimal therapy that leads to maximum potential for normal development for infants with congenital hypothyroidism.Remaining controversy centers on infants whose abnormality in neonatal thyroid function is transient or mild and on optimal care of very low birth weight or preterm infants. Of note, thyroid-stimulating hormone is not elevated in central hypothyroidism. An algorithm is proposed for diagnosis and management.Physicians must not relinquish their clinical judgment and experience in the face of normal newborn thyroid test results. Hypothyroidism can be acquired after the newborn screening. When clinical symptoms and signs suggest hypothyroidism, regardless of newborn screening results, serum free thyroxine and thyroidstimulating hormone determinations should be performed. INTRODUCTIONCongenital hypothyroidism (CH) is one of the most common preventable causes of mental retardation. In most cases, the disorder is permanent and results from an All clinical reports from the American Academy of Pediatrics automatically expire 5 years after publication unless reaffirmed, revised, or retired at or before that time.The guidance in this report does not indicate an exclusive course of treatment or serve as a standard of medical care. Variations, taking into account individual circumstances, may be appropriate.Key Words congenital hypothyroidism, thyroid hormone, thyroid-stimulating hormone, newborn screening Abbreviations CH-congenital hypothyroidism TH-thyroid hormone T 4 -thyroxine T 3 -triiodothyronine TSH-R-thyrotropin receptor TRBAb-thyrotropin receptor-blocking antibody FT 4 -free thyroxine TSH-thyroid-stimulating hormone TBG-thyroid-binding globulin LBW-low birth weight VLBW-very low birth weight L-T 4 -levothyroxine TRH-thyrotropin-releasing hormone PEDIATRICS (ISSN Numbers: Print, 0031-4005; Online, 1098-4275).

Although it is not known what severity of maternal thyroid deficiency is necessary to cause fetal brain damage, the present data indicate a sufficiently high prevalence of thyroid dysfunction to demand investigation of the mental development of the offspring of women with thyroid dysfunction and of the effect of replacement therapy.

The adaptor protein-2 sigma subunit (AP2σ2) is pivotal for clathrin-mediated endocytosis of plasma membrane constituents such as the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR). Mutations of the AP2σ2 Arg15 residue result in familial hypocalciuric hypercalcaemia type 3 (FHH3), a disorder of extracellular calcium (Ca2+o) homeostasis. To elucidate the role of AP2σ2 in Ca2+o regulation, we investigated 65 FHH probands, without other FHH-associated mutations, for AP2σ2 mutations, characterized their functional consequences and investigated the genetic mechanisms leading to FHH3. AP2σ2 mutations were identified in 17 probands, comprising 5 Arg15Cys, 4 Arg15His and 8 Arg15Leu mutations. A genotype–phenotype correlation was observed with the Arg15Leu mutation leading to marked hypercalcaemia. FHH3 probands harboured additional phenotypes such as cognitive dysfunction. All three FHH3-causing AP2σ2 mutations impaired CaSR signal transduction in a dominant-negative manner. Mutational bias was observed at the AP2σ2 Arg15 residue as other predicted missense substitutions (Arg15Gly, Arg15Pro and Arg15Ser), which also caused CaSR loss-of-function, were not detected in FHH probands, and these mutations were found to reduce the numbers of CaSR-expressing cells. FHH3 probands had significantly greater serum calcium (sCa) and magnesium (sMg) concentrations with reduced urinary calcium to creatinine clearance ratios (CCCR) in comparison with FHH1 probands with CaSR mutations, and a calculated index of sCa × sMg/100 × CCCR, which was ≥ 5.0, had a diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of 83 and 86%, respectively, for FHH3. Thus, our studies demonstrate AP2σ2 mutations to result in a more severe FHH phenotype with genotype–phenotype correlations, and a dominant-negative mechanism of action with mutational bias at the Arg15 residue.

Autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) is the most common thyroid disorder in the pediatric age range. The disease results from an as yet poorly characterized defect or defects in immunoregulation and a cascade of events progressing from lymphocyte infiltration of the thyroid, to T-cell- and cytokine-mediated thyroid follicular cell injury, and apoptotic cell death. Approximately 70% of disease risk has been attributed to genetic background with environmental factors being important in triggering disease in susceptible individuals. The contribution of individual genes is small and probably polymorphisms in multiple genes play a role. Some immunosusceptibility genes affect immune recognition or response in general, while others are thyroid-specific. Environmental agents may act through an epigenetic mechanism. Antibodies (Abs) to a variety of thyroid-specific antigens are detectable in a majority of patients, but the role of Abs in mediating cell injury and death is unclear and only thyrotropin (TSH) receptor Abs significantly affect thyroid function by interfering with (or stimulating) the action of TSH. Nonetheless, thyroid peroxidase (TPO) Abs and thyroglobulin (Tg) Abs, present in a majority of patients, are valuable diagnostically as markers of underlying autoimmune thyroid destruction. TSH receptor blocking Abs are found in ˜18% of children and adolescents with severe hypothyroidism and, when persistent, may identify an adolescent likely to have a baby with TSH receptor blocking Ab-induced congenital hypothyroidism. AIT may coexist with other organ-specific autoimmune diseases. Although the most common age at presentation is adolescence, the disease may occur rarely in children <1 year of life.Conflict of interest:None declared.

"Incidence of transient congenital hypothyroidism due to maternal thyrotropin receptorblocking antibodies in over one million babies" (1996). Open Access Articles. 987.