ABSTRACT
AIM: To evaluate the usefulness of a follow up intervention of newborns to mothers with antithyroid antibodies during pregnancy. RESULTS: We evaluated a 72 mother-infant pairs. Two to three blood tests were done at least in 50% of the infants included in the study during the follow up. Each patient was required to go to hospital to do the blood tests. Others hospital visits were required to medical examinations and collect the results. One patient required eight blood tests. We only could establish a correlation between thyroperoxidase antibodies (TPO-Ab) titres between controls done in mothers during pregnancy and samples obtained in newborn at 48 h of life. There was not effect of mother's TPO-Ab titres in infant's thyroid function. No cases of transitory hypothyroidism in infants were found. CONCLUSIONS: It is important to do a follow up in infants born of mothers with antithyroid antibodies during pregnancy. Transitory congenital hypothyroidism (TCH) in these infants is described in literature, with deleterious effects in neurodevelopment. Many blood tests and hospital visits were required analysing our protocol. There were no cases of TCH. Screening of CH from a heel blood sample at 48 h of life is universal in our region. Follow up protocols in these patients could be much less aggressive.
