Neonatal thyrotoxicosis in four siblings born to a previously thyrotoxic mother.

Abstract

Neonatal hyperthyroidism is a relatively uncommon disorder. It has been described in infants born to women with active hyperthyroidism and in those born to euthyroid women previously treated medically or surgically for hyperthyroidism. 1 Recent evidence suggests that neonatal hyperthyroidism is due to thyroid stimulation in the fetus by a transplacentally acquired long-acting thyroid stimulation globulin (LATS) or a human specific antibody, LATS-protector (LATS-P), which has been detected in a large number of patients with hyperthyroidism. 2 Although there have been reports of neonatal thyrotoxicosis, this report is the first to our knowledge to describe its consecutive occurrence in four siblings born to a previously thyrotoxic woman. Report of Cases. —The mother is a 40-year-old, gravida 6, para 4, abortus 2 woman who was well until 1950 when, at the age of 16, hyperthyroidism developed and she underwent a partial thyroidectomy and a course of iodine 131 therapy. She