Maternal thyroid disease

Published on 03/06/2015 by admin

Filed under Neonatal - Perinatal Medicine

Last modified 22/04/2025

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CHAPTER 24 Maternal thyroid disease

Abnormalities of thyroid function in the newborn infant can result from maternal thyroid disease. This can be due to maternal antithyroid antibodies transferred from the mother (thyroid-stimulating antibodies or thyroid-blocking antibodies, or both), the state of maternal thyroid function during the pregnancy, or any treatment the mother has had for her thyroid disease during the pregnancy.

The maternal thyroid disease does not need to be active to cause problems for the baby; the mother may still have circulating antibodies.

• Therefore all babies whose mothers have thyroid disease, or a past history of thyroid disease, should have thyroid function tests (TFTs) — including thyroidstimulating hormone (TSH/thyrotropin) and free thyroxine (FT4) — done at 4–5 days old. Beware checking earlier as the TSH is higher in the first day or two of life.

• Infants of mothers with uncontrolled hyperthyroidism should also have repeat TFTs at 2 weeks of age.

• Any infant with signs or symptoms of hypo- or hyperthyroidism should have TFTs done.

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