Respiratory manifestations in infants with hypothyroidism.

Respiratory symptoms in infants with hypothyroidism were not emphasized as an integral part of the clinical picture until Lowrey, Aster, Carr, Ramon, Beierwaltes and Spafford (1958) pointed out the frequency with which such symptoms occurred. Of their cases, 75% had various degrees of respiratory difficulty. The purpose of this report is to draw attention once more to the frequency of respiratory symptoms in hypothyroid infants, and to include these symptoms among the non-specific findings that should alert the paediatrician to the possibility of hypothyroidism, and thus lead to early diagnosis, early treatment and a better prognosis for normal mental development. In the past year, four hypothyroid infants below the age of 1 year were seen at the American University Hospital. All of them had prominent respiratory symptoms. The records of hypothyroid infants admitted over the past eight years were examined; four infants with a definite diagnosis were found, all having symptoms referable to their respiratory system.