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Cited by 10Thyroid Disorders and TreatmentsGrowth Hormone and Insulin-like Growth FactorsThyroid and Parathyroid Surgery

Growth Outcomes and Final Height in Children with Acquired Hypothyroidism: A Systematic Review

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Cammisa, Ignazio, Rigante, Donato, Cipolla, Clelia·2024·Children
DOI 10.3390/children11121510PMC PMC11674360
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Abstract

Background/Objectives: Hypothyroidism can profoundly affect growth, particularly if it insidiously arises during early childhood. Congenital hypothyroidism is now detected through newborn screening, significantly improving the overall growth outcomes of these children. Conversely, acquired hypothyroidism often results in delayed somatic growth and shorter stature, with many affected children initially remaining non-symptomatic. The main objective of this review is to summarize the current knowledge about the impacts of acquired hypothyroidism on children’s growth outcomes. Methods: We performed a literature review to analyze growth and final height in children with acquired hypothyroidism, matching the following keywords: “hypothyroidism & growth”, “hypothyroidism & height”, “hypothyroidism & stature”, “hypothyroidism & development”, “hypothyroidism & auxological parameters”. We reviewed each article that met the eligibility criteria, and after a thorough selection, we included 16 studies. Results: Growth arrest is frequently noted as a symptom in hypothyroidic children, with substantial portions of affected children presenting below the third percentile for height. The timing of diagnosis significantly influences growth outcomes: those diagnosed during puberty tend to experience less catch-up growth due to accelerated skeletal maturation. Even if thyroxine replacement can induce rapid catch-up growth, it may be incomplete if treatment begins during puberty or if there is a markedly prolonged deficiency of thyroid hormones. While levothyroxine therapy typically results in some degree of catch-up growth, many children do not reach their expected genetic height. Conclusions: This review highlights the necessity of both early diagnosis and treatment of acquired hypothyroidism. Even if many children show improvements in height velocity post-treatment, the complete normalization of growth may remain elusive.

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  • Unrecognized and untreated central hypothyroidism may result in impaired growth, chronic fatigue, and increased risk of cardiovascular complications.

    “Unrecognized and untreated central hypothyroidism may result in impaired growth, chronic fatigue, and increased risk of cardiovascular complications [60,61].”

    From Endocrine Dysfunctions After Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: Present Insights and Future Directions (2025) · cites this paper as [60]

    The Introduction identifies central hypothyroidism as a form of hypothyroidism, and the Discussion and Conclusions link delayed diagnosis of hypothyroidism in children to impaired growth. The paper does not specifically establish these growth findings for central hypothyroidism, and the passages found do not address chronic fatigue or cardiovascular complications. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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Authors
Cammisa, I., Rigante, D., & Cipolla, C.
Affiliations
  • Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic (IT)
  • Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (IT)
Corresponding author
Cammisa, Ignazio
ORCID
Venue
Children
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2024-12-11
Volume
11
Issue
12
Pages
1510
ISSN
2227-9067 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/children11121510
PMC
PMC11674360
OpenAlex
W4405281678
Cited by
10
References
87
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 4
FWCI
0.58
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Children (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Thyroid Disorders and Treatments
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Growth Hormone and Insulin-like Growth Factors
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery
Keywords
acquired hypothyroidism, child growth, adult height, catch-up growth, levothyroxine therapy, timing of diagnosis, growth arrest, skeletal maturation, height velocity

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