Correlation of Thyroid Hormones and CRP Level in Neonatal Sepsis

Despite the absence of thyroid disease, patients with non-thyroidal illness (NTI) frequently have changes in serum levels of thyroid hormones that may suggest thyroid dysfunction. One of such non-thyroidal illness (NTI) is neonatal sepsis. C-reactive protein (CRP) is a marker of neonatal sepsis. Levels of free thyroid hormones are reduced in septic neonates. That's why we conducted this study, in which levels of FT₃ and FT₄ were measured along with CRP levels in 25 sick neonates and 25 controls of similar weight and gestational age. It was observed that FT₃ and FT₄ levels were lower in septic neonates having high CRP levels. It was also concluded that low thyroid levels and high CRP levels correlate with poor prognosis in neonatal sepsis.