CLINICAL COURSES AND THYROID CONDITIONS IN 3 INFANTS BORN TO A MOTHERWITH THYROID STIMULATING-BLOCKING ANTIBODIES

The clinical courses including thyroid conditions of three infants bor n to a mother with primary hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto's thyroidit is were studied. The mother was positive for both TSH-binding inhibito r immunoglobulins (TBII) and thyroid stimulating-blocking antibodies ( TSBAb) in her serum. The first infant died because of septic shock due to fistula formation between the large intestine and the bladder. Ser um thyroid hormone levels during the first pregnancy were extremely lo w because of incomplete replacement therapy with levothyroxine. The se cond infant had almost normal thyroid function, so that the replacemen t therapy was not necessary. The third infant had transient and overt primary hypothyroidism. The replacement therapy was carried out for si x months after birth. TSBAb activities in this mother were high in the third pregnancy. In general, these activities gradually increases wit h the clinical course in TSBAb-positive Hashimoto's patients. From the se findings, it was suspected that the thyroid conditions in the secon d and the third infants reflected the natural course of TSBAb activiti es in this mother.