Thyroid Hormone & Brain Development in Children

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D. [@chutkaMD] Guest: Siobhan Pittock, M.B., B. Ch Thyroid hormone plays an important role in metabolism of adults. It plays an even more important role in children. Undiagnosed hypothyroidism in children not only impairs metabolism but can result in stunted physical growth and impaired cognitive development. Congenital hypothyroidism is one of the most common causes of intellectual disability. This may present as poor performance or behavior problems in school. It can also be associated with hearing and language development. The topic for this podcast is “Thyroid Hormone and Brain Development in Children” and my guest is Siobhan Pittock, M.B., B. Ch, a pediatric endocrinologist from the Mayo Clinic. We’ll discuss how thyroid hormone affects brain development, the causes of hypothyroidism in a fetus or newborn and whether brain damage from hypothyroidism in childhood is reversible. https://www.usdairy.com/about-us/national-dairy-council Connect with the Mayo Clinic’s School of Continuous Professional Development online at https://ce.mayo.edu/ or on Twitter @MayoMedEd.