Assessment of thyroid function in the preterm and/or very low birth weight newborn

Abstract

The screening program or early detection of congenital hypothyroidism is one of the greatest advances achieved in Pediatrics. Thyroid hormones are essential for brain development and maturation, which continue into the neonatal stage. Alterations in thyroid function in premature and underweight children in the first months of life causes irreversible damage to the central nervous system and is one of the most frequent and avoidable causes of mental retardation. Diagnosis in the neonatal period is difficult, so it requires an analytical study to be able to carry out the appropriate treatment.The relevance of this problem justifies its communication to all areas of pediatrics. The main objective is to avoid brain damage in these patients. Other aspects to optimize the adequate development of these children with all the necessary periodic controls and to achieve the inclusion of the diagnosis of thyroid alterations during the stay in neonatal units and in the first months of life, need to implement the resources of the health centers and continue advancing according to current knowledge.In this document, we will focus on the screening of preterm newborns VLBW (<32 weeks of gestation) and/or very low weight for gestational age (1500–1000 g VLBW or <1000 g) and the function evaluation protocol thyroid in premature babies.We update the diagnostic procedures, the essential and complementary tests required, the etiology and the differential diagnoses in this pathology.