ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Pediatric Neurology
Association between thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy and neonatal neurodevelopmental outcomes
Provisionally accepted
Yajun Kong*
Xiaogang An- Shanxi Province Fenyang Hospital, Fenyang, China
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This study aims to explore the impact of thyroid dysfunction (TD) during pregnancy on the neurodevelopmental outcomes of newborns. Participants were assigned to a thyroid dysfunction group (TDG, n=92) or a normal control group (NCG, n=150). Newborns underwent neonatal behavioral neurological assessment (NBNA), and serum thyroid hormone levels, including thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), and free triiodothyronine (FT3), were measured. Within the TDG, subclinical hypothyroidism accounted for 43.48% (40/92), isolated hypothyroxinemia for 23.91% (22/92), subclinical hyperthyroidism for 17.39% (16/92), overt hypothyroidism for 9.78% (9/92), and overt hyperthyroidism for 5.43% (5/92). The total NBNA score, FT4, and FT3 levels were significantly lower in newborns from the TDG than those from the NCG (P<0.001), whereas TSH levels were significantly higher (P<0.05). Neurodevelopmental outcomes differed significantly among the various types of TD (P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that the total NBNA score of newborns in the TDG was negatively correlated with TSH level (r=-0.242, P<0.05) and positively correlated with FT4 and FT3 levels (r=0.464, r=0.383, respectively; both P<0.05). These findings indicate that TD during pregnancy significantly affects the neurodevelopmental outcomes of neonates, with the magnitude of effect varying according to the specific type of thyroid abnormality.
Keywords: Impact analysis, Independent risk factors, Neonatal neurodevelopment, Pregnancy, thyroid dysfunction
Received: 08 Nov 2025; Accepted: 02 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Kong and An. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yajun Kong
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