Drugs & Therapy Perspectives

, Volume 34, Issue 3, pp 116–120 | Cite as

Diagnose and treat paediatric hypothyroidism promptly to achieve optimal growth and developmental outcomes

Disease Management
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Abstract

Thyroid hormone plays a critical role in normal growth and development in children, particularly during the first 3 years of life. Paediatric patients with suspected hypothyroidism should be treated without delay with levothyroxine monotherapy. The levothyroxine dosage required to restore normal thyroid gland function depends on the age of the patient and the severity of the hypothyroidism. Whether or not subclinical hypothyroidism should be treated is an area of debate, as the precise neurodevelopmental risks it poses remain uncertain.

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Notes

Compliance with ethical standards

Conflict of interest

The article was adapted from Pediatric Drugs 2017;19(4):291–301 [4] by employees of Adis/Springer, who are responsible for the article content and declare no conflicts of interest.

Funding

The preparation of this review was not supported by any external funding.

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Copyright information

© Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2017

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.SpringerAucklandNew Zealand

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