title: Effect of L-thyroxine supplementation on very low birth weight infants with transient hypothyroxinemia of prematurity at 3 years of age.
abstract: To evaluate the effects of levothyroxine (L-T4) supplementation on growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 3 years of age in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants with transient hypothyroxinemia of prematurity (THOP).
  
  
  
  VLBW infants with plasma thyroid-stimulating hormone concentrations <10 mIU l-1and free thyroxine concentrations <0.8 ng dl-1were defined as having THOP and randomly assigned to the Treated (20 infants) or Untreated (31 infants) group. The Treated group received L-T4 at a dose of 5 μg kg-1day-1. Growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 3 years of age were compared between the two groups.
  
  
  
  There were no significant differences in body length, body weight or head circumference mean s.d. scores or in neurodevelopmental outcomes between the two groups.
  
  
  
  L-T4 supplementation in VLBW infants with THOP demonstrated no beneficial effect at 3 years of age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatal Medicine, Maternal and Perinatal Center, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.|Tokyo Metropolitan Neonatal Research Group, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Uchiyama
authors.affiliation: Tokyo Metropolitan Neonatal Research Group, Tokyo, Japan.|Department of Neonatology, Tokyo Metropolitan Bokutoh Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kushima
authors.affiliation: Tokyo Metropolitan Neonatal Research Group, Tokyo, Japan.|Department of Neonatology, Tokyo Metropolitan Bokutoh Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatal Medicine, Maternal and Perinatal Center, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.|Tokyo Metropolitan Neonatal Research Group, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kusuda
mesh_terms: D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002508:Cephalometry; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006257:Head / Q000254:growth & development; D006801:Humans; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight / Q000254:growth & development*; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D013960:Thyroid Function Tests; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood*; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D013972:Thyrotropin; D013974:Thyroxine