original articles April 01, 2002 April 01, 2002

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis in Children and Adolescents: Retrospective Study of 43 Cases

DOI: 10.1590/S0004-27302002000200006

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) is the autoimmune disorder considered the main etiology of goiter and acquired hypothyroidism among children and adolescents in non-endemic areas. This study evaluated retrospectively 43 patients aged 1.1 to 17.6 years with HT, 36 female and 7 male (proportion 5:1). Goiter was present in 81% of these patients. At the first appointment 37% of the patients were in euthyroid state (n=16), 28% in subclinical hypothyroid state (n=12), 26% in clinical hypothyroid state (n=11) and 9% in hyperthyroid state (n=4). Anti-thyroperoxidase antibody was positive in 75% of these patients and anti-thyroglobulin antibody in 68%. All hypothyroid patients were treated with thyroid hormone replacement. Only 3 patients entered in remission after puberty suggesting the importance of a periodic evaluation.