[Follow-up and the characteristics of the course of chronic autoimmune thyroiditis in children].

A catamnestic analysis was made of the course of chronic autoimmune thyroiditis (CAIT) in 43 children. CAIT manifested at the preschool age in half the children examined. The development of the disease was characterized by a progressive increase of the size of the thyroid and gradual development of hypothyrosis. The long-term (for 2 to 4 years) use of the individually selected maximal doses of thyroid hormones promoted a decrease of the size of the thyroid and a significant reduction of the high content of TTN in the blood. The surgical treatment of CAIT in childhood results in the development of manifest hypothyrosis which determines the necessity of administering the lifelong replacement therapy. CAIT was discovered to produce an unfavourable effect on the pregnancy and delivery in women, high risk of the formation of congenital hypothyrosis or manifestation of thyroid pathology in children born to such women.