Part of the endocrine system, the thyroid is a gland that’s instrumental in producing essential hormones. When the thyroid fails to produce hormones effectively, multiple bodily functions can be impacted. Transient hypothyroidism is a type of thyroid disease that affects babies shortly after birth.
Children born with congenital hypothyroidism experience health issues for life, but transient hypothyroidism is a temporary condition. In many infants, the ability to produce a sufficient number of thyroid hormones within the first few months following birth is impeded. This condition often results from the following issues:
Consuming anti-thyroid medications during pregnancy can also contribute to issues. Similarly, women with certain autoimmune conditions that affect the thyroid have a higher chance of having a baby with transient hypothyroidism.
It should be noted that symptoms may not present in infants immediately following birth, as the child may receive thyroxine, an essential thyroid hormone, from the mother. As a result, symptoms may not be evident until a few weeks post-birth.
Symptoms of transient hypothyroidism can include:
Effectively screening infants soon after birth can prevent these symptoms, while also helping babies avoid more serious health problems.
While the condition is temporary, the initial effects of transient hypothyroidism can contribute to more serious health problems over time. As a result, doctors typically provide supplemental hormones to babies found to be insufficient after testing. Additionally, it can sometimes be hard for doctors to tell whether an infant is experiencing the transient or chronic form of hypothyroidism, which makes administering the proper treatment even more crucial. Once thyroid tests return the normal result, doctors can opt to discontinue hormone treatments.