
February 8, 2005
Thyroid
Question from Beirut, Lebanon:
My 18 month old child was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on October 25, 2004. I have overactive thyroid (Hashimoto’s), but my T4 and TSH results are still okay without any medications. Should I do any thyroid tests for my child? Is it possible that he will get thyroid diseases? I also have a two month old baby. Should I have him tested for diabetes?
Answer:
It is generally advised to check newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic children for some more common related autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, celiac disease, and adrenal disease. This can be done through the assay of the respective autoantibodies your pediatrician can list and explain to you. Regarding the other two months baby: as we don’t have yet any proven treatment in case he might be found at higher risk for type 1 diabetes, my advice is not to test him now. Watch for future advances in type 1 diabetes prediction and prevention.
MS