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Is there an association between thyrotropin levels within the normal range and birth growth parameters in full-term newborns?

  • Pantea Nazeri , Mamak Shariat , Yadollah Mehrabi , Parvin Mirmiran EMAIL logo and Fereidoun Azizi EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: July 31, 2018
Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism
From the journal Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism Volume 31 Issue 9

Abstract

Background

It has been suggested that thyroid hormone concentration at birth may have some role in regulating foetal growth. The aim of this study was to provide seminal data regarding any association between thyrotropin (TSH) concentration within the normal range and growth parameters at birth in full-term newborns.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study conducted in Tehran, Iran, 314 mother-newborn pairs were randomly selected from health care centres responsible for congenital hypothyroidism screening. Neonatal TSH concentration was measured using a heel-prick blood sample taken from all neonates 3–5 days after birth, as part of the routine neonate screening. Anthropometrics, including birth weight, length and head circumference were obtained from the birth record of each neonate. The z-score values for weight-for-age, weight-for-length, length-for-age and head-for-age were calculated using the World Health Organisation growth standards.

Results

The median interquartile range neonatal TSH values were 0.9 mIU/L (0.4–1.7 mIU/L). Neonates in the top tertile of TSH values had higher birth weights and weight-for-age z-scores than those in the bottom tertile (p<0.05). In addition, neonatal TSH was associated with weight-for-age z-scores in unadjusted (β=0.113, p=0.020) and adjusted (β=0.122, p=0.013) analysis. However, in both unadjusted and adjusted analysis, no association was observed between TSH concentrations of neonates and weight-for-length, length-for-age and head-for-age z-scores.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate a positive association between the normal range of neonatal screening TSH concentration and birth weight; however, this association was not observed for other anthropometric parameters at birth.

Keywords: anthropometric indices; heel blood sample; iodine sufficient area; neonates; thyrotropin
Corresponding authors: Parvin Mirmiran, PhD, Professor of Nutrition, Nutrition and Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box: 19395-4763, Tehran, I.R. Iran, Phone: +98 21 22432503, Fax: +98 21 22402463; and Fereidoun Azizi, MD, Professor of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box: 19395-4763, Tehran, I.R. Iran, Phone: +98 21 22432503, Fax: +98 21 22402463

  1. Author contributions: P.N. contributed to the design, data analysis and writing of the manuscript; M.S. contributed to the design of the study and writing of the manuscript; Y.M. contributed to the statistical analysis and writing of the manuscript; P.M. and F.A. contributed to the design of the study and writing, reading and final approval of the manuscript. All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.

  2. Research funding: This study was supported financial grants from the Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

  3. Employment or leadership: None declared.

  4. Honorarium: None declared.

  5. Competing interests: The funding organization(s) played no role in the study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the report for publication.

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Received: 2017-12-10
Accepted: 2018-06-28
Published Online: 2018-07-31
Published in Print: 2018-09-25

©2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Original Articles
  3. Intracranial pathologies associated with central diabetes insipidus in infants
  4. Omentin-1 and NAMPT serum concentrations are higher and CK-18 levels are lower in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes when compared to healthy age, sex and BMI matched controls
  5. Evaluation of anthropometric parameters of central obesity in Pakistani children aged 5–12 years, using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis
  6. A lower energetic, protein and uncooked cornstarch intake is associated with a more severe outcome in glycogen storage disease type III: an observational study of 50 patients
  7. Untreated congenital hypothyroidism due to loss to follow-up: developing preventive strategies through quality improvement
  8. The effect of 17 years of increased salt iodization on the prevalence and nature of goiter in Croatian schoolchildren
  9. Is there an association between thyrotropin levels within the normal range and birth growth parameters in full-term newborns?
  10. Etiology of short stature in Indian children and an assessment of the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor axis in children with idiopathic short stature
  11. Growth of patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase in infancy, glucocorticoid requirement and the role of mineralocorticoid therapy
  12. A personal series of 100 children operated for Cushing’s disease (CD): optimizing minimally invasive diagnosis and transnasal surgery to achieve nearly 100% remission including reoperations
  13. 12-Week aerobic exercise and nutritional program minimized the presence of the 64Arg allele on insulin resistance
  14. Letter to the Editor
  15. Successful treatment of life-threatening severe metabolic acidosis by continuous veno-venous hemodialysis in a child with diabetic ketoacidosis
  16. Case Reports
  17. Two siblings with metachromatic leukodystrophy caused by a novel identified homozygous mutation in the ARSA gene
  18. To diet or not to diet in neonatal diabetes responding to sulfonylurea treatment
  19. Van Wyk-Grumbach syndrome with hemangioma in an infant
  20. Maternal iodine excess: an uncommon cause of acquired neonatal hypothyroidism
https://doi.org/10.1515/jpem-2017-0519
Keywords for this article
anthropometric indices; heel blood sample; iodine sufficient area; neonates; thyrotropin

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Original Articles
  3. Intracranial pathologies associated with central diabetes insipidus in infants
  4. Omentin-1 and NAMPT serum concentrations are higher and CK-18 levels are lower in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes when compared to healthy age, sex and BMI matched controls
  5. Evaluation of anthropometric parameters of central obesity in Pakistani children aged 5–12 years, using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis
  6. A lower energetic, protein and uncooked cornstarch intake is associated with a more severe outcome in glycogen storage disease type III: an observational study of 50 patients
  7. Untreated congenital hypothyroidism due to loss to follow-up: developing preventive strategies through quality improvement
  8. The effect of 17 years of increased salt iodization on the prevalence and nature of goiter in Croatian schoolchildren
  9. Is there an association between thyrotropin levels within the normal range and birth growth parameters in full-term newborns?
  10. Etiology of short stature in Indian children and an assessment of the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor axis in children with idiopathic short stature
  11. Growth of patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase in infancy, glucocorticoid requirement and the role of mineralocorticoid therapy
  12. A personal series of 100 children operated for Cushing’s disease (CD): optimizing minimally invasive diagnosis and transnasal surgery to achieve nearly 100% remission including reoperations
  13. 12-Week aerobic exercise and nutritional program minimized the presence of the 64Arg allele on insulin resistance
  14. Letter to the Editor
  15. Successful treatment of life-threatening severe metabolic acidosis by continuous veno-venous hemodialysis in a child with diabetic ketoacidosis
  16. Case Reports
  17. Two siblings with metachromatic leukodystrophy caused by a novel identified homozygous mutation in the ARSA gene
  18. To diet or not to diet in neonatal diabetes responding to sulfonylurea treatment
  19. Van Wyk-Grumbach syndrome with hemangioma in an infant
  20. Maternal iodine excess: an uncommon cause of acquired neonatal hypothyroidism
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