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Subject Area

Pediatrics

Article Type

Letter to the Editor

Abstract

I read the interesting study by Tawfik et al. published in the July–September 2020 issue of the Menoufia Medical Journal. They studied serum level of free thyroxine and thyroid‑stimulating hormone in Egyptian preterm neonates with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). They found that there was a statistically significant negative correlation between serum free thyroxine level and the occurrence and severity of RDS, whereas there was a statistically significant positive correlation between serum thyroid‑stimulating hormone level and the occurrence and severity of RDS. It is noteworthy that the accurate evaluation of thyroid health status in particular preterm neonates requires the use of reference values of thyroid function tests (RVTFT). As these values are affected by many neonatal and delivery‑related factors, various populations‑specific RVTFT for preterm babies have been generated to guide the need for introducing thyroid hormone replacement therapy. Regrettably, Tawfik et al. did not address which RVTFT they utilized in the study methodology. This could ultimately bring into question the validity of their findings.

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