Relationship between maternal milk and serum thyroid hormones in patients with thyroid related diseases / 中国医学科学院学报

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the relationship between maternal milk and serum thyroid hormones in patients with thyroid-related diseases.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Serum and breast milk samples were collected from 56 breastfeeding mothers. Milk and serum free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), triiodothyronine(T3), thyroxine (T4), and thyrotrophin (TSH) were determined, and T3/T4 was calculated. Using the serum thyroid hormones as the independent variables and milk thyroid hormones as the dependent variables, we performed linear regression analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The milk FT3, FT4, T3, T4, TSH, and T3/T4 were (2.30 ± 0.82) pg/ml ,(0.45 ± 0.26) ng/dl, (0.35 ± 0.20) ng/ml, (2.96 ± 1.55) Μg/dl, (0.12 ± 0.08) ΜU/ml, and 0.12 ± 0.04, respectively. Milk FT3 (r = 0.778, P = 0.000), T3 (r = 0.603, P = 0.000), T4 (r = 0.485, P = 0.004), and TSH (r = 0.605, P = 0.000) concentrations were positively correlated with those in serum.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Thyroid hormones are present in human milk and are positively correlated with those in serum.</p>