Long-term outcome of hormonal status in Taiwanese children with Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
The objective of this prospective study was to evaluate both thyroid function in children with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and the necessity of lifetime thyroxine replacement therapy. A total of 47 patients with goiter and positive thyroid auto-antibodies participated in the study. Serum thyroxine and thyrotropin levels and titers of thyroid auto-antibodies were checked regularly throughout the follow-up period. At the beginning of the study, 25 patients were diagnosed as euthyroid, but at the end of the study, 22 patients initially diagnosed with euthyroidism remained euthyroid, while eight patients with subclinical hypothyroidism and three patients with overt hypothyroidism had become euthyroid. Thus, of the 22 patients with thyroid dysfunction at diagnosis, subclinical or overt, 11 became euthyroid during the follow-up period. The effect of thyroxine treatment on thyroid auto-antibody titers was not significant.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data shows that Hashimoto's thyroiditis in children has a benign course and that thyroid function in one half of the patients with thyroid dysfunction at diagnosis reverts to normal. Careful follow-up of thyroid function is important in order to determine the necessity and timing of thyroxine replacement therapy.
Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Shuo-Yu
SY
Wang
Yi-Ching
YC
Tung
Wen-Yu
WY
Tsai
Jing-Sheng
JS
Lee
Pei-Hung
PH
Hsiao
D000293:Adolescent; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D050031:Hashimoto Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D013960:Thyroid Function Tests; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D013974:Thyroxine