THYROID-FUNCTION IN PREMATURE-INFANTS - THE HYPOTHYROXINEMIA OF PREMATURITY

Advances of perinatal and neonatal medicine have been associated with a progressive reduction in mortality of premature infants and a progre ssive increase in number of the surviving very low birth weight (VLBW) cohort less than 28 to 32 weeks gestation age. Hypothalamic-pituitary -thyroid (HPT) function is immature in most premature infants, and thi s is particularly true of the VLBW group. Accumulated information has allowed development of a unique nosology of HPT system disorders in th ese infants to facilitate thyroid function testing, test interpretatio n, and patient management.