RESUMO
PURPOSE:Chronic autoimmune thyroiditis is the most common thyroid disease in children and adolescents, and also is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in children and adolescents. We studied the clinical manifestations and natural courses of chronic autoimmune thyroiditis in children and adolescents. METHODS:We analyzed retrospectively twenty one children and adolescents who were diagnosed as chronic autoimmune thyroiditis before 15 years of age. The diagnoses were made from July 1997 to February 2004 at Ajou Univesity Hospital. We reviewed the clinical manifestations and thyroid functions of these patients. RESULTS:Nineteen patients were female and two were male. The mean age at diagnosis was 9.95+/-3.1 years, the mean duration of follow up was 23.52+/-22.98 months. At diagnosis, the most common chief complaint was goiter (15 patients/21 patients) and the others were short stature, easy fatigue, cardiac murmur and weight loss. Eighteen patients had goiters at diagnosis. Four had familial history of thyroid disease, Three of them had maternal history of thyroid disease and one had paternal history of thyroid disease. At diagnosis, Seven patients were euthyroid and four patients were hyperthyroid, eighteen patients had antithyroglobulin antibody, seventeen patients had antimicrosomal antibody, fourteen patients had both of them. At last follow-up, eight patients were euthyroid and ten patients were hypothyroid, three patients were hyperthyroid. CONCLUSION: Chronic autoimmune thyroiditis in children and adolescents can have the various important influences on the metabolism including the growth. The clinical manifestations and thyroid functions should be monitored in children and adolescents with chronic autoimmune thyroiditis.