The effect of drug exposure on thyroid hormone levels of newborns.
This study examines the effect of women's alcohol abuse during pregnancy on the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroxine (T4) levels of their babies at birth. Forty-seven babies were born to mothers identified as substance abusers. Maternal use of marijuana and/or cocaine did not result in newborns' TSH and T4 hormone levels being significantly different from non-substance-abusing controls' TSH and T4 levels. Alcohol use, however, was significantly linked to lower newborn TSH levels, lower than TSH levels of a control sample of newborns whose mothers used marijuana and/or cocaine, and lower than a control sample of newborns whose mothers abused no substances. This finding suggests further investigation of possible links between thyroid functioning and fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).
Hernandez
J T
JT
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill 27599-7160.
Hoffman
L
L
Weavil
S
S
Cvejin
S
S
Prange
A J
AJ
D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood*; D003042:Cocaine; D005260:Female; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000097:blood*; D015997:Neonatal Screening; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000097:blood; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood*; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood*
D013972:Thyrotropin; D003042:Cocaine; D013974:Thyroxine