ABSTRACT
This study was conducted on 500 full-term neonates and 25 older patients with congenital hypothyroidism (CH), newly or previously diagnosed. Alphafetoprotein (AFP) was elevated in two neonates. In one, persistent elevation of AFP and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) with low thyroxine (T4) were found (congenital hypothyroidism). In the other, AFP, TSH and T4 levels normalized (transient hypothyroidism). The mean AFP level in new CH patients was significantly higher than in previously diagnosed patients, and was higher in CH patients than in controls. Significant relationships were found between AFP and T4, AFP and TSH, and AFP and age. AFP is a sensitive indicator of thyroid status and can be used as a screening test for hypothyroidism from the first day of life and in follow-up of CH patients.
Subject(s)
Congenital Hypothyroidism , Hypothyroidism/diagnosis , Neonatal Screening/methods , alpha-Fetoproteins/metabolism , Adolescent , Adult , Age Factors , Bilirubin/blood , Case-Control Studies , Child , Child, Preschool , Creatinine/blood , Female , Humans , Hypothyroidism/blood , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Neonatal Screening/standards , Sensitivity and Specificity , Thyroid Function Tests , Thyrotropin/blood , Thyroxine/bloodABSTRACT
This study was conducted on 500 full-term neonates and 25 older patients with congenital hypothyroidism [CH], newly or previously diagnosed. Alphafetoprotein [AFP] was elevated in two neonates. In one, persistent elevation of AFP and thyroid stimulating hormone [TSH] with low thyroxine [T4] were found [congenital hypothyroidism]. In the other, AFP, TSH and T4 levels normalized [transient hypothyroidism]. The mean AFP level in new CH patients was significantly higher than in previously diagnosed patients, and was higher in CH patients than in controls. Significant relationships were found between AFP and T4, AFP and TSH, and AFP and age. AFP is a sensitive indicator of thyroid status and can be used as a screening test for hypothyroidism from the first day of life and in follow-up of CH patients
Subject(s)
Child, Preschool , Hypothyroidism , Infant, Newborn , Neonatal Screening , Thyroid Function Tests , Thyroxine , alpha-Fetoproteins , Congenital HypothyroidismABSTRACT
53.7% of the already parasitologically proved schistosomiasis cases showed circulating schistosomal antigen (C.S.A.) in their sera with significantly higher levels than the controls, with no correlation between the level of C.S.A. and the foecal egg count. Significant higher levels of schistosomal complement C3 were found in schistosomiasis patients as compared to the control group, with no significant difference in the mean level of C3 between patients with positive and negative C.S.A.
Subject(s)
Antigens, Helminth/analysis , Complement C3/analysis , Schistosoma/immunology , Schistosomiasis haematobia/immunology , Schistosomiasis mansoni/immunology , Adolescent , Animals , Child , Feces/parasitology , Humans , Parasite Egg CountABSTRACT
Transient nephritis, manifested by albuminuria may be caused by the deposition of the circulating schistosomal antigen in the kidney glomeruli.
