title: Psychological development at 7 years of age in children with congenital hypothyroidism. Timing and dosage of initial treatment.
abstract: Sixty of 68 consecutive patients detected during the first two years of the Swedish screening programme for congenital hypothyroidism were Griffiths tested at the age 6.5-7.5 years. The test quotients of the patients could not be distinguished from those of a reference population. Replacement therapy with 8.7 +/- 2.8 micrograms of L-thyroxine (mean +/- SD)/kg/d had been started at 15.0 +/- 7.1 days of life. Furthermore, normal results on Griffiths tests were also found in 13 patients with delayed normalization of serum TSH, i.e. greater than 19 mU/l at the age of six weeks, as well as in patients with retarded skeletal maturity and/or very low neonatal serum levels of thyroxine, i.e. less than 18 nmol/l and tri-iodothyronine, i.e. less than 0.92 nmol/l. Our findings indicate that a replacement dose of 6-11 micrograms L-thyroxine/kg/d is adequate and allows normal psychological development if treatment is started early.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Akademiska Sjukhuset, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ilicki
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Larsson
mesh_terms: D001846:Bone Development / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D003409:Congenital Hypothyroidism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D002666:Psychology, Child; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D013972:Thyrotropin; D013974:Thyroxine