Long-Term Growth in Juvenile Acquired Hypothyroidism:

Abstract

It has been suggested that complete catch-up growth is achieved with treatment in patients with juvenile acquired hypothyroidism. We tested this assumption by examining long-term growth in 18 girls (mean [±SD] age, 11.4±2.7 years; bone age, 6.2±3.1 years) and 6 boys (age, 10.6±4.7 years; bone age, 6.4±2.7 years) with severe primary hypothyroidism (serum thyroxine level 1.1±0.3 μg per deciliter [13±4 nmol per liter]). At diagnosis, heights were 4.04±0.5 and 3.15±0.4 SD below the mean heights for age of normal girls and boys, respectively. The patients were treated with levothyroxine (3.4±0.3 μg per kilogram of body weight per day) to maintain normal thyroid function.