title: Thyroid function in premature infants. The hypothyroxinemia of prematurity.
abstract: Advances of perinatal and neonatal medicine have been associated with a progressive reduction in mortality of premature infants and a progressive increase in number of the surviving very low birth weight (VLBW) cohort less than 28 to 32 weeks gestation age. Hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) function is immature in most premature infants, and this is particularly true of the VLBW group. Accumulated information has allowed development of a unique nosology of HPT system disorders in these infants to facilitate thyroid function testing, test interpretation, and patient management.
authors.affiliation: Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, USA.
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Fisher
mesh_terms: D003409:Congenital Hypothyroidism; D005325:Fetal Organ Maturity; D006801:Humans; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000503:physiopathology; D013960:Thyroid Function Tests; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000503:physiopathology