Growth arrest as unusual presentation of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis in a prepubertal girl

Abstract

We describe a 13 years old girl with severe hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis (HT) with an unusual clinical presentation, characterized only by growth arrest in absence of goiter and other clinical signs of overt hypothyroidism, like fatigue, bradycardia or worsening of school performance. The immediate start of Levotiroxine treatment resolved growth arrest and promoted pubertal development. This case confirmed that HT with overt  hypothyroidism should be considered in the differential diagnosis of severe short stature in pediatric age