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Information. Living with thyroid disorders. Hyperthyroidism in children. Hyperthyroidism occurs when the thyroid becomes over-active and produces more thyroid hormones than are needed by the body. It is sometimes called thyrotoxicosis. The most common cause of hyperthyroidism is Graves’ disease.
- Children and thyroid disorders
Thyroid disorders are rare in children and newborn babies...
- Children and thyroid disorders
Both men and women can have an underactive thyroid, although it's more common in women. Children can also develop an underactive thyroid and some babies are born with it. All babies born in the UK are screened for congenital hypothyroidism using a blood spot test when the baby is about 5 days old.
- What Is Congenital Hypothyroidism?
- What Is The Thyroid Gland and What Does It do?
- What Causes Congenital Hypothyroidism and Is It Inherited?
- How Common Is Congenital Hypothyroidism?
- What Are The Symptoms of Congenital Hypothyroidism?
- Why Are Babies Screened For Hypothyroidism?
- How Are Babies Screened For Hypothyroidism?
- What Is The Treatment For Congenital Hypothyroidism?
- Are There Any Side Effects of Treatment?
- What About The Longer term?
Congenital hypothyroidism (CHT) is a condition resulting from an absent or under-developed thyroid gland (dysgenesis) or one that has developed but cannot make thyroid hormone because of a ‘production line’ problem (dyshormonogenesis). Babies with CHT cannot produce enough thyroid hormone for the body’s needs. The term ‘congenital’ means that the c...
The thyroid gland is situated in the lower part of the neck, just below the Adam’s apple. It produces thyroid hormone. This is mainly thyroxine (T4) with a small (10%) amount of tri-iodothyronine (T3). Thyroid hormone is essential for brain development in infancy and normal growth in childhood and adolescence.
Thyroid gland development in a baby begins very early in pregnancy. The gland begins to form at the back of the tongue and moves to its normal position in the lower neck by eight weeks. In some babies the gland does not develop properly and/or may not move to the normal position. This form of CHT is called dysgenesis and a gland that is in the wron...
One child in every 2000-3000 is born with CHT in the UK. Dysgenesis is more common in girls than in boys but in dyshormonogenesis boys and girls are equally affected.
Most babies born with CHT look entirely normal and have no obvious symptoms. That is why it is so important that all children are tested at birth. CHT is often diagnosed before the baby shows any definite signs of the condition. Some babies with hypothyroidism are sleepy and difficult to feed although lots of babies have these symptoms without bein...
Untreated, CHT can result in impaired brain development. In the past, babies with hypothyroidism were often not diagnosed until they were several months old and started on treatment late. As a consequence, some had learning difficulties or mild clumsiness. We now know that if thyroid hormone treatment can be started before the baby is about two to ...
All babies have a heel-prick blood test at five days of age to screen for several conditions. One of these conditions is CHT and this is tested for by measuring a hormone called TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). TSH is produced by the brain and is a messenger to tell the thyroid gland to make more thyroid hormone. If the thyroid hormone is low, th...
If your baby tests positive, his or her condition should be managed by a paediatric endocrinologist (a hormone specialist who deals with children) or a paediatrician with a special interest in endocrinology. Treatment with levothyroxine (synthetic thyroid hormone, T4) should be started without delay. The dose is carefully calculated based on factor...
Treatment with levothyroxine simply replaces the thyroxine that the thyroid gland is unable to make. Therefore treatment is putting back what the thyroid is not making enough of. It is very effective and it is usually fairly easy to give the correct dose. If too much levothyroxine is given it may cause symptoms of an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroi...
Your child will usually need to take levothyroxine for life but this should present no great problems as levothyroxine is widely available, is currently free of prescription charges, and needs to be given only once a day. After starting treatment your child should be tested regularly (every few weeks in the first few months of life and every three ...
Jul 11, 2021 · If you are a parent of a child who has thyroid disease, the complications can seem alarming. While thyroid disease can be a lifelong condition, these complications can be prevented with appropriate treatment and consistent management of thyroid hormone levels.
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Mar 18, 2017 · In general, infants with severe defects in thyroid gland development or inborn errors of thyroid hormonogenesis present in infancy whereas babies with less severe defects or acquired abnormalities, particularly autoimmune thyroid disease, present later in childhood and adolescence.
Apr 14, 2022 · The predominant TSH isoforms in children up to 18 months of age have low sialylation and N-glycosylation, resulting in high bioactivity, after which TSH glycobiology becomes similar to that seen in adults [ 57 ]. Circulating T3 levels peak at 4 to 5 months of age, then gradually decline.
