Objective: To describe the possibility that dopamine infusion can prevent early diagnosis of congenital hypothyroidism.
Design: Case report.
Setting: Medical neonatal intensive care unit of a tertiary academic medical center.
Patients: We report four preterm newborns affected by transient primary congenital hypothyroidism who showed low serum thyroxine and normal thyroid-stimulating hormone concentrations on primary screening performed during treatment with dopamine.
Interventions: Thyroid reevaluation screening after dopamine discontinuation.
Measurements and main results: Thyroid reevaluation showed elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone levels.
Conclusion: We emphasize that dopamine capacity to suppress thyroid-stimulating hormone could prevent early diagnosis of congenital hypothyroidism. We suggest all newborns to be tested simultaneously for thyroid-stimulating hormone and thyroxine values at primary screening. A reevaluation of thyroid hormones after dopamine discontinuation is advisable in patients treated with dopamine.