MANAGEMENT OF HYPOTHYROIDISM IN INFANCY AND CHILDHOOD

[摘要] Twenty-four infants and children between the ages of 2 days and 11 years were demonstrated to have congenital hypothyroidism and were treated with desiccated thyroid. Determinations of the serum butanolextractable iodine (BEI) were used for diagnosis and in most instances for regulation of replacement therapy. In all patients for whom the serum BEI was determined before therapy, the values were significantly below the normal range for children and varied between 0 and 2.9µg./100 ml. After treatment with 90 to 240 mg. of desiccated thyroid/day, the older children had serum BEI values within or slightly above the normal range of 4.5 to 7:3µg./l00 ml. The 5 hypothyroid infants tolerated and required rapidly increasing amounts of disccated thyroid which varied between 45 and 90 mg. daily during the interval between 2 and 9 months of age. In an attempt to obtain optimal mental development, early therapy with large quantities of desiccated thyroid is suggested.It is obvious from these studies that the use of a laboratory procedure such as the determination of the serum BEI is essential in the early diagnosis and regulation of treatment of hypothyroidism in infancy and childhood.

[学科分类] 儿科学