Levothyroxine Treatment on Cardiac Function in Children With Subclinical Hypothyroidism

The Effect of Levothyroxine Treatment on Cardiac Function in Children With Subclinical Hypothyroidism

This study aims to evaluate the effect of the treatment with levothyroxine on cardiac function in children with subclinical hypothyroidism.

Subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) is a branch of hypothyroidism which is characterized by increased thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and normal thyroxine (T4).

Inadequate serum thyroid hormone levels impair cardiac function and may result in multiple cardiovascular risk factors, such as endothelial dysfunction, increased intima-media thickness, increased vascular resistance, and pericardial effusion.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age from 4 to 15 years.
• Both sexes.
• Patients with stable elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) ≥ 4.5 mIU/L with normal free T4 and ft3 in different measurement 4 - 6 weeks apart.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Overweight and obesity
• Hypertension
• Previous use of levothyroxine, antiepileptic drugs, or cardiac drugs within the last 6 months.
• Arrhythmia.
• Congenital or acquired heart disease
• Liver or kidney disease
• Hyperlipidemia
• Diabetes
• Infectious diseases
• Respiratory diseases
• Malignancies