Multiple Screening Tests Are Required to Identify Hypothyroidism in Preemies

Continue weekly heel stick TSH screening in premature infants until 37 weeks' corrected gestational age.

Congenital hypothyroidism is a serious and treatable cause of impaired neurodevelopment and an important component of newborn screening. Repeat screening tests are currently recommended, but without general agreement on appropriate timing, especially in premature and seriously ill neonates.

In a 13-year national follow-up study in nearly 900,000 newborns in Ireland, researchers assessed delays in thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) elevations in children with congenital hypothyroidism. Weekly heel stick thyroid tests were conducted up to a corrected gestational age of 37 weeks.

Among 53 neonates with congenital hypothyroidism born at <33 weeks' gestation (median gestational age, 29 weeks; median birth weight, 1.2 kg), 27 (51%) had a normal TSH …

Reviewing Author

F. Bruder Stapleton, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardCareer Physician

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Pediatric Nephrology Foundation (Chair)

F. Bruder Stapleton, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardCareer Physician

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Pediatric Nephrology Foundation (Chair)

Multiple Screening Tests Are Required to Identify Hypothyroidism in Preemies

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Reviewing Author