Between July 2002 and October 2003 routine results of serum TSH, fT3, and fT4 were collected from existing laboratory data of 2,194 serum samples from a hospital based population of children aged 1 day – 18 years. The in- and out clinic patients had been admitted to the pediatric department of the Medical University Innsbruck for a variety of reasons. Subjects were sub-grouped according to age, ranging from 1 day to 1 month, 1 – 12 months, and 1 – 5, 6 – 10, 11 – 14, and 15 – 18 years, respectively. Classification of age groups was primarily based on those of previously published studies to facilitate reliable comparison of the results, and also specifically according to the age-related course of the obtained values. Two or more samples were taken from 410 patients, 1,085 patients had only one serum sample taken. All procedures were done in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.
Data were collected routinely within the setting of clinical practice according to standard procedures. The parents of the children gave their informed consent. No further measures were taken beyond clinical practice.
Classification of the patients in diagnostic categories was done using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) codes. Children with conditions or concomitant medications likely to affect thyroid function were excluded from the reference group [8 (link)]. Also patients with eating disorders, with pituitary disease or chromosomal anomalies were not included in the analysis. Patients presenting a deviation in height or weight were identified at the clinical examination and classified as normal variants of growth (ICD E34.3 and E34.4) including familial or constitutional factors. All diagnostic groups have been included in a separate Excel file (additional material). Each diagnostic group was statistically evaluated in comparison to Z00.0 (n = 414; general examination and investigation of persons without complaint and reported diagnosis) using the one way ANOVA post-hoc analyses (data not shown). Serum samples from patients having the following ICD-10 diagnostic codes indicating thyroid dysfunction were excluded a-priori (n = 665): Congenital hypothyroidism with and without diffuse goiter (E03.0, E03.1), other non toxic goiter (E04.0 – E04.9), dyshormonogenetic goiter (E07.1), thyrotoxicosis (E05.0 – E05.9), autoimmune thyroiditis and unspecified thyroiditis (E06.3, E06.9), any neoplasm of the thyroid gland (C73 and D44.0), post procedural hypothyroidism (E89.0), and other specified or unspecified hypothyroidism (E03.8, E03.9).
Data were collected routinely within the setting of clinical practice according to standard procedures. The parents of the children gave their informed consent. No further measures were taken beyond clinical practice.
Classification of the patients in diagnostic categories was done using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) codes. Children with conditions or concomitant medications likely to affect thyroid function were excluded from the reference group [8 (link)]. Also patients with eating disorders, with pituitary disease or chromosomal anomalies were not included in the analysis. Patients presenting a deviation in height or weight were identified at the clinical examination and classified as normal variants of growth (ICD E34.3 and E34.4) including familial or constitutional factors. All diagnostic groups have been included in a separate Excel file (additional material). Each diagnostic group was statistically evaluated in comparison to Z00.0 (n = 414; general examination and investigation of persons without complaint and reported diagnosis) using the one way ANOVA post-hoc analyses (data not shown). Serum samples from patients having the following ICD-10 diagnostic codes indicating thyroid dysfunction were excluded a-priori (n = 665): Congenital hypothyroidism with and without diffuse goiter (E03.0, E03.1), other non toxic goiter (E04.0 – E04.9), dyshormonogenetic goiter (E07.1), thyrotoxicosis (E05.0 – E05.9), autoimmune thyroiditis and unspecified thyroiditis (E06.3, E06.9), any neoplasm of the thyroid gland (C73 and D44.0), post procedural hypothyroidism (E89.0), and other specified or unspecified hypothyroidism (E03.8, E03.9).
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