Background: Diagnostics of thyroid disorders (TD) are frequently based on the measurements of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration only. If TSH is outside the reference range, the diagnostic procedure used in patients with TD isintroduced. Observations indicate that in a considerable number of these patients, TD is not confirmed. The aim of the study was to assess the incidence of transient hyperthyrotropinemia in healthy children during acute infections of the respiratory system.
Patients and methods: The study included consecutive children (49 boys and 45 girls), aged 2.2-17.3 years, who visited one General Practitioner (GP) due to respiratory tract infections. The tests: complete blood count (CBC), C-reactive protein (CRP), TSH and FT4 were run on the next day after the visit at the physician's (initial visit) and ≥2 weeks after recovery.
Results: Among these children, elevated TSH values were found in about 10% of patients, and they went back to normal values after recovery. A prospective analysis showed a reduction of TSH values in approx. 65% of all groups and TSH at the follow-up visit was significantly lower.
Conclusions: Transient hyperthyrotropinemia was observed in about 10% of children with acute respiratory tract infection. This preliminary finding remains unexplained.
Keywords: acute respiratory tract infection; children; thyroid stimulating hormone; transient hyperthyrotropinemia.