Thyroid Function in Very-Low-Birth-Weight Infants with Intraventricular Hemorrhage

Abstract

The objective of this investigation was to study the natural course of thyroid function in infants with intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). A cohort of infants &lt1,500 grams birth weight, n=247, were included in the analysis. Total T₄ and thyrotropin from newborn screening during the 1st week of life (Test 1) and from repeat screening at 2-4 weeks postnatal age (Test 2) were compared in infants with IVH (n=43) and a group of infants without UH. Fifty-nine percent of infants still had transient hypothyroxinemia at the time of Test 2. After multivariate analysis, infants with IVH had an increased odds of having a T₄ &le6 μg/dL on Test 1 (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.2-6.5), but at the time of Test 2 IVH was not associated with an increased odds of having a low T₄. Only gestational age (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1-2.5) remained associated with an increased odds of having an extremely low T₄ (&le4 μg/dL) at this time. Transient hypothyroxinemia remains common at 2-4 weeks of age in preterm infants. IVH is not independently associated with having a low T₄ at this time.

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