Effects of Thyroid Hormones on Risk of Intraventricular Hemorrhage in Preterm Infants

Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) often occurs in preterm infants and is an important cause of brain damage in the infants. Although its incidence has decreased, IVH remains a significant complication in the survival of preterm infants. One of the predisposing factors is thyroid function. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of thyroid hormones T4 and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) on risk of IVH in Iranian preterm infants. We designed a cross-sectional study, and the population includes fifty preterm infants admitted in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) ward of Ali Asghar Hospital, Tehran, Iran, during the period of 2017 to 2018. Cranial sonography at the 5th and 30th day after birth was performed to evaluate the IVH and thyroid function tests were conducted on blood samples using radioimmunoassay. Results of IVH prevalence and grading indicated that 5th day IVH occurs in 38% and 30th day IVH occurs in 28% of infants. There is no statistically significant correlation between T4 and TSH with 5th day IVH but there is a significant statistical relationship between T4 and TSH levels and IVH on the 30th day after birth. Thyroid function hormones could be used as markers to predict the risk of IVH in preterm infants. Larger sample size can help to obtain more validated results.