Thyroid hormones are responsible not only for physical development, but also for energy production in the body. And another hormone, TSH, produced by the pituitary gland, controls their production.
We learn from this article what is fraught with an increase in thyroid stimulating hormone in a child, and why this happens. And most importantly, can an increased TSH in a child be cured?
TSH hormone standards for children
Since the growth and development of the nervous system of children is directly related to the level of this hormone, this indicator must be constantly monitored.
Just born babies have the highest rates, this is normal. Over time, they are somewhat reduced. And when reaching adolescence, the indicators are the same as in adult men and women.
| Age | Indicators for children from about to 15 years (honey / l) |
from 0 to 28 days | 1.1 - 20 |
from 28 days up to 2.5 months | 0.6-10 |
| up to 1 year | 06, - 8.3 |
| up to 5 years | 0.4 - 6.5 |
| 5-12 years old | 0.4 - 5.8 |
| 12-15 years old | 0.4 - 5 |
If the result of the study showed that the TSH in the child is elevated, what does this mean? Perhaps the result is incorrect. But when the second analysis shows deviations, it is necessary to immediately begin to be treated.
The indicators change if the child was stressed before cessation of analysis and cried badly or was in an exhausting workout. Hormone jumps will occur if your child has lost sleep and wakefulness. Since at night, TTG rates are the highest. Maximum from 2 to 4 a.m. The minimum is recorded at 17-18 hours.
Thyroid-stimulating hormone. Why is it needed in the body?
Like most hormones, TSH, or thyroid stimulating hormone, is produced in the pituitary gland.
His role in the body of a growing baby is huge:
- Affects bone growth.
- It controls the metabolism.
- Responsible for the synthesis of protein and RNA in a child.
- Provides the work of the cardiovascular and excretory systems.
- Responsible for the quality of transmission of nerve impulses in the brain.
- Regulates the thyroid gland.
If the hormone TSH is elevated, the child often from an early age experiences a deficiency of the most important substances involved in the development of the brain. A significant thyroxine deficiency, which decreases when TSH rises, threatens the development of mental disability. And the critical period is up to 3 years. After 3 years of age, no drugs can help restore brain activity.
Malfunctions in hormone production or malfunctioning of the thyroid gland leads either to hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. Both that, and another is harmful for the child, and measures need to be taken urgently.
Signs of Violation
Parents need to know several signs of hormone disruption that should be troubling.
It is important to bring the child to study the level of TSH immediately, as the following problems were noticed:
- persistent drowsiness;
- obvious delay in physical growth and mental development;
- delayed sexual development in adolescence;
- a feeling of cold in the arms and legs, even when the air temperature in the apartment is comfortable;
- puffiness of the child, quick weight gain, not associated with overeating.
If there are these signs, it is most likely that a disease such as thyroiditis will be detected. This is a lack of thyroid hormones - T3 thyroxine and T4 triiodothyronine. The TSH and T3, T4 produced by the pituitary gland are inversely proportional.
Causes of elevated thyroid stimulating hormone
The reasons for which an elevated TSH is detected in a child are the same as in adults.
There are several key factors.
- sports loads;
- adrenal disease;
- medicines
- autoimmune thyroid disease;
- hypothyroidism;
- mental crises;
- poisoning.
If repeated blood tests confirm an elevated level of the hormone, you need to understand which of the following factors is the cause. Psychological problems require correction in the office of a child psychologist. If the reason is excessive physical exertion, then they need to be reduced to an adequate level. Other causes directly related to medicine should be sequentially eliminated with the help of an appropriate specialist.
The causes of elevated TSH in a child may be simpler. For example, an increased level of hormone in the mother. Then the baby will have problems at birth.
The interdependence of TTG and T3, T4
Thyroid hormones in the body perform the following functions:
- increase heat production;
- stimulate the production of vitamin A;
- accelerate amino acid metabolism.
First, a biochemical blood test is done on TSH, then T3 and T4. Combinations of indicators clearly explain to doctors which particular pathology threatens the patient.
- The index of TSH and T3 is increased - syndromes of unregulated secretion of thyroid-stimulating hormone or resistance to thyroid hormones has developed.
- TSH, T3 are elevated in a child - suspicion of thyrotropinoma. This is a tumor of the very "center" of the hormonal system - the pituitary gland.
- TTG, AT-TG, T3 and T4 - all indicators are increased, then this is thyroiditis.
- Only one indicator is increased - TTG. This is an indication of psychosomatics.
- T3 and T4 are low, TSH is normal or elevated. Indication of hypothyroidism.
T3 and T4 are actively involved in metabolism. Moreover, T3 is approximately 4 times more biologically active than T4. In early childhood, T3 is reduced. In newborns, its norm in the blood is only 1/3 of the norm of an adult. But for a baby, this amount of hormones is enough to maintain a normal metabolism. Excess hormones are also bad.
Often there are problems with the levels of T3 and T4 and due to the fact that the thyroid gland ceases to respond to the hormone TSH, although the pituitary gland produces them in sufficient quantities. As a result, the pituitary gland tries to develop even more of this biological substance. Then TSH is overestimated, and thyrotropin still does not return to normal. This situation requires an urgent appeal to a qualified endocrinologist.
Increased TSH in a pregnant woman
How to respond when it is revealed that TSH is elevated during pregnancy? The consequences for the child can be serious.
The norm in pregnant women differs from those indicators that are considered good for non-pregnant adult women. For those who are in position, the level for physiological reasons is somewhat underestimated.
Physiological norms are as follows:
- 1 trimester - 1.0 - 0.4 μMdml;
- 2 trimester - 0.3 - 28 μmdml;
- 3 trimester - 0.4 -3.5 μmdml.
Exceeding these indicators, as well as an excessive decrease, is a very poor indicator and is fraught with deviations in the development of the fetus. For example, those children who have extremely low thyroid hormones at birth suffer from deafness and mental retardation.
Elevated TSH levels in the early stages often lead to miscarriage. And in the later stages, the risk of placental exfoliation or intrauterine growth retardation increases.
Newborn screening
A biochemical blood test in the first days of a baby's life will allow you to find out about the presence of congenital hypothyroidism. For those babies who were born on time, the analysis is carried out on the 4th day after birth.
But premature babies can only take blood for such an analysis on days 7-14. If at least some deviations in the indicators are found, the mother and child will be sent for further research.
What indicators alert doctors?
- Increased TSH in a child is a result of 20 to 50 mMU / L. Another additional analysis is assigned to confirm.
- From 50 mMU / L - this is a high probability of having a thyroid disease.
- An indicator above 100 - definitely there is congenital hypothyroidism.
When a congenital disease is detected, synthetic hormones must be taken. Otherwise, the child will be significantly behind in development from peers.
What to do if a child has a TSH level above normal?
The level of the pituitary hormone urgently needs to be brought back to normal, while there is no developmental delay. How to restore TSH level? The main treatment is taking drugs. Children often endocrinologists prescribe "Eutiroks" to normalize hormone levels.
If the doctor said that hypothyroidism is congenital, it will have to be treated constantly. But transient hypothyroidism usually disappears after a course of therapy.
It is important to plan pregnancy correctly so as not to encounter similar problems later. Before pregnancy, it is advisable to undergo a study and find out if there are any pathologies in the work of the "butterfly", that is, the thyroid gland.
Diagnostics
Symptoms alone are not enough to establish a diagnosis. Laboratory tests are required. There are not many analyzes, but it is important to conduct them correctly in order to obtain adequate results.
- Blood is taken from an empty stomach for analysis. In infants, a few drops of blood are taken from the heel.
- Analysis of urine.
- Immunological studies to identify autoimmune processes.
- Thyroid hormone test: thyroxine and triiodothyronine.
In addition to these analyzes, it is important for a specialist to see if there are changes in the size and structure of the gland itself. For these purposes, an ultrasound scan is performed.
Treatment
The most common treatment prescribed by a doctor for children is constant monitoring by an endocrinologist and drugs. A serious hormone deficiency threatens with hypothyroidism, if the doctor sees that the indicators are poor, he prescribes taking L-thyroxine, a synthetic hormone.
So, the TSH in the child is elevated. What should parents do? Treatment is always individual. Not too high hormone levels can be treated without hormones. Assign only iodinated drugs in such cases, for example, "Iodomarin."
Output
Increased TSH in a child is not a sentence. First you need to find out the exact cause of the changes taking place in the body, and then decide on replacement therapy. If both TSH and T3, T4 are elevated, then it is urgent to respond and take the drugs prescribed by the endocrinologist, since thyroiditis will greatly harm the growing body.