Reference values for fasting serum concentrations of thyroid-stimulating hormone and thyroid hormones in healthy Danish/North-European white children and adolescents
Abstract
Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroid hormones influence the functions of many organ systems, as well as child development and growth. Several studies have reported an association between ethnicity and thyroid hormones. This study aims to explore pediatric serum concentrations of TSH, free triiodothyronine (fT3), and free thyroxine (fT4) and their relation to age and sex and subsequently to present pediatric reference intervals from healthy Danish/North-European white children. A population-based cohort in Denmark of 2411 (1435 girls) healthy school children and adolescents aged 6.0-18.9 years were included. Fasting concentrations of serum TSH, fT3, and fT4 were determined from venous blood samples using immunologic chemiluminescent assays. Age- and sex-dependent percentiles were generated using the GAMLSS function. Median values of fT3 and fT4, but not TSH, were lower in the older age group compared with the youngest age group for both sexes (all p < .05). A significant difference for fT3 was found between the sexes for all age groups (all p < .001). fT4 was negatively correlated with body mass index standard deviation scores in boys. In conclusion, serum concentrations of thyroid hormones vary during childhood and adolescence and differ with age and sex.
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In a population-based Danish cohort of 2411 healthy 6-19-year-old children, median values of FT4 and FT3 fell with increasing age for both sexes, with the decline most pronounced around puberty, age 11-15 years.
“In a population-based Danish cohort of 2411 healthy 6–19-year-old children, median values of FT4 and FT3 fell with increasing age for both sexes with the decline most pronounced around the time of puberty, age 11-15 years [46].”
From Age-related variation in thyroid function – a narrative review highlighting important implications for research and clinical practice (2023) · cites this paper as [46]
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- Authors
- Gunapalasingham, G., Frithioff-Bøjsøe, C., Lund, M. A. V., Hedley, P. L., Fonvig, C. E., Dahl, M., Pedersen, O., Christiansen, M., Hansen, T., Lausten-Thomsen, U., & Holm, J.-C.
- Affiliations
- Copenhagen University Hospital (DK)
- The Children’s Obesity Clinic, Department of Pediatrics, Copenhagen University Hospital Holbæk
- University of Copenhagen (DK)
- Statens Serum Institut (DK)
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet
- ORCID
- Venue
- Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2019-02-17
- Volume
- 79
- Issue
- 1-2
- Pages
- 129-135
- ISSN
- 0036-5513 (ISSN-L)
- 1502-7686
- OpenAlex
- W2921040628
- Cited by
- 23
- References
- 33
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 3
- FWCI
- 3.04
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of Southern Denmark Research Portal (University of Southern Denmark) (publishedVersion)
- Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Innovation Fund Denmark (0603-00484B, 0603-00457B)
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF15OC0016544)
- The Region Zealand Health Scientific Research Foundation
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Thyroid Disorders and Treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Clinical Laboratory Practices and Quality Control
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Thyroid Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
- Keywords
- thyroid-stimulating hormone, free triiodothyronine, free thyroxine, thyroid hormones, reference values, children, adolescents, age and sex differences, body mass index, ethnicity
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Age Factors, Child, Europe, Fasting, Female, Humans, Immunoassay, Male, Reference Values, Sex Factors, Thyrotropin, Thyroxine, Triiodothyronine, Cohort Studies, Body Mass Index, White People, Luminescence, Young Adult, Healthy Volunteers
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