Congenital hypothyroidism in infants: which factors predict permanent disease?

Takeaway

• High levothyroxine dose at discontinuation is associated with permanent hypothyroidism in infants with congenital hypothyroidism.

Why this matters

• Risk factors for permanent hypothyroidism are poorly understood in this patient population.

Key results

• 11.3% of patients experienced permanent hypothyroidism (failure following levothyroxine discontinuation).
• 88.8% of patients experienced transient hypothyroidism (successfully discontinued levothyroxine).
• Higher levothyroxine dose at discontinuation was associated with increased risk of permanent hypothyroidism (OR, 3.443; P=.009).
• A levothyroxine dose of 2.86 μg/kg had 88.9% sensitivity, 71.0% specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.849 for predicting treatment failure.

Study design

• 80 infants with congenital hypothyroidism were included.
• Funding: None.

Limitations

• Retrospective study.