A Study of Leptin Serum Concentration in Neonatal Patients Suspected with Congenital Hypothyroidism

This study aimed to compare the serum leptin levels in infants suspected of congenital hypothyroidism. In addition to investigate the relationship between serum levels of leptin with T4 and TSH. Subjects and In the present case-control study, 100 neonates under 30 days of age were selected randomly from those who had been hospitalized in Zabol Amir-Almomenin hospital between years 2012 to 2013. Thorough clinical examination by a pediatrician and evaluation for possible congenital hypothyroidism, the subjects were divided into two groups (case and control) homogenized in terms of age and gender. Case group consisted of neonates with suspected congenital hypothyroidism, and controls without. Blood sampling was taken from each neonate after obtaining a written consent form from parents Serum leptin, T4 and TSH were measured by ELISA method. The data were analyzed using software SPSS ver. 20 using of independent t-test and Pearson correlation by considering the level of 0.05 error. The serum leptin level was significantly higher among the suspected hypothyroidism than controls (P ≤ 0.05). In addition, there was an inverse relationship between TSH and T4 levels (r=-0.512, P ≤ 0.05). There were no significant relationships between the serum leptin level in regards to age and weight (P ≥ 0.05). Based on the results of this study, in infants with congenital hypothyroidism, serum leptin increases independently of age and weight. Therefore, leptin serum level may be considered as a criteria for assessment of thyroid gland function.