Sandra Schulte1, Bettina Gohlke2, Felix Schreiner1, Mathias Gruenewald1, Rolf Fimmers3, Birgit Stoffel-Wagner4, Peter Bartmann5, Joachim Woelfle1. 1. Department of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetology, Children's University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany. 2. Department of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetology, Children's University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany. Electronic address: bettina-gohlke@t-online.de. 3. Institute of Medical Biometry, Informatics and Epidemiology (IMBIE), University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany. 4. Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany. 5. Department of Neonatology, Children's University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the long-term impact of birth weight (BW) on thyroid function in genetically identical twins with intra-twin BW differences from birth to adolescence. STUDY DESIGN: In total, 52 monozygotic twin pairs underwent at least one analysis of thyroid function at mean ages of 10.1 years (27 pairs), 15.1 years (35 pairs), and 17.4 years (36 pairs); 18 pairs donated blood at all time points. BW difference of <1 SDS was defined as concordant, BW difference ≥1 SDS as discordant. RESULTS: In concordant twins, no significant differences were observed. In the discordant group, smaller twins had higher mean thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) than their larger co-twins at 10.1 years (3.6 vs 2.5 μU/mL; P = .04) and 15.1 years (2.6 vs 2.2 μU/mL; P = .08). Smaller twins showed lower mean thyroxine than larger co-twins at 10.1 years (7.8 vs 8.2 μg/dL P = .05) and 17.4 years (7.7 vs 8.4 μg/dL; P = .03), and a tendency at 15.1 years (6.9 vs 7.4 μg/dL; P = .09). Calculation of TSH-thyroxine ratio revealed significant differences in the discordant group, with greater ratios in the smaller twin at 10.1 years (0.5 vs 0.3; P = .006) and 15.1 years (0.4 vs 0.3; P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: In this group of monozygotic twins with intra-twin BW differences, BW seemed to exert a long-lasting impact on thyroid function. This may be due to a delay in hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis maturation, with TSH resistance during childhood and early adolescence in children with low BW.
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the long-term impact of birth weight (BW) on thyroid function in genetically identical twins with intra-twin BW differences from birth to adolescence. STUDY DESIGN: In total, 52 monozygotic twin pairs underwent at least one analysis of thyroid function at mean ages of 10.1 years (27 pairs), 15.1 years (35 pairs), and 17.4 years (36 pairs); 18 pairs donated blood at all time points. BW difference of <1 SDS was defined as concordant, BW difference ≥1 SDS as discordant. RESULTS: In concordant twins, no significant differences were observed. In the discordant group, smaller twins had higher mean thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) than their larger co-twins at 10.1 years (3.6 vs 2.5 μU/mL; P = .04) and 15.1 years (2.6 vs 2.2 μU/mL; P = .08). Smaller twins showed lower mean thyroxine than larger co-twins at 10.1 years (7.8 vs 8.2 μg/dL P = .05) and 17.4 years (7.7 vs 8.4 μg/dL; P = .03), and a tendency at 15.1 years (6.9 vs 7.4 μg/dL; P = .09). Calculation of TSH-thyroxine ratio revealed significant differences in the discordant group, with greater ratios in the smaller twin at 10.1 years (0.5 vs 0.3; P = .006) and 15.1 years (0.4 vs 0.3; P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: In this group of monozygotic twins with intra-twin BW differences, BW seemed to exert a long-lasting impact on thyroid function. This may be due to a delay in hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis maturation, with TSH resistance during childhood and early adolescence in children with low BW.
Authors: Xiao Song Liu; Xiu Juan Su; Guo Hua Li; Shi Jia Huang; Yang Liu; Han Xiang Sun; Qiao Ling Du Journal: Endocrinology Date: 2022-08-01 Impact factor: 5.051