IS MY 4 YEAR OLD SUFFERING WITH A THYROID DISORDER???

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sisi
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Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 10:43 pm
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by sisi on Tue Jan 10, 2012 12:56 am

IS MY 4 YEAR OLD SUFFERING WITH A THYROID DISORDER???

IS MY 4 YEAR OLD SUFFERING WITH A THYROID DISORDER???

Postby sisi on Tue Jan 10, 2012 12:54 am
Hello, would you please advise me if it is reasonable to ask our family doctor to test our 4 year old son for thyroid antibodies? Is it possible that my child suffers with a thyroid disorder?
I am his mother, I am 37 years old, I have been hypothyroid since I was thirteen. I had a large goiter, thyroid cancer and total thyroidectomy in 2005. I then had a radioactive iodine treatment at the beginning of 2006. Our second son (who is now 4 and half years old) was born in 2007, 18 months after my RAI treatment. He is displaying many symptoms that I believe might be due to hypothyroidism.
Our son's symptoms: He has very dry skin throughout his body but his shins are worst (very flaky), he has had long term constipation problems despite a healthy diet & plenty of fluids, he sleeps a long time (goes to bed at 7pm every night) and has difficulty awakening, his skin feels cool to touch first thing in the morning, he looks always pale (unlike his older brother), he has a husky cry, his face has recently started looking puffy (double chin), he has a very large tongue. In the winter months he suffers with ear and throat infections frequently and is on antibiotics frequently. His TSH and T4 are within normal ranges (TSH 2.9 - ref. range 0.3-6.9; FT4 13.0 - ref. range 5.6-21). Our son's other medical conditions/history: he has a heart murmur, he was born with a dilated kidney, he was born through an emergency C-section. His weight and height is normal (the low end normal), he started walking at 17 months, started talking at 2 years.
I would be most grateful for your advice and professional opinion. Thank you in advance.

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Dr David Kerbel
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Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 4:53 pm
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by Dr David Kerbel on Fri Feb 03, 2012 8:29 am

Re: IS MY 4 YEAR OLD SUFFERING WITH A THYROID DISORDER???

I was sorry to hear that you have had such a torrid time although your child has normal thyroid function tests which is obviously reassuring. I guess it is worth emphasising that symptoms that suggest a thyroid problem can be symptoms of other conditions as well. Sometimes the best way forward in a situation like this would be to get your child seen by your fmaily doctor or by a paediatrician who can think about all possible causes of dry skin, constipation etc…. I don't think I would be inclined to measure thyroid antiboides because his thyroid function is normal. If he were tested and found to have antiboides then he still doesn't need any treatment. Furthermore, we know that having antiboides does not necessarily mean that you are going to go hypothyroid. To summarise, I would suggest having your son reassessed by your GP or by a paediatrician. It is quite possible that there is absolutely nothing wrong because many healthy children have the symptoms that you describe from time to time.
Dr David Kerbel
GP & GP representative for the British Thyroid Foundation

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