ABSTRACT

Central hypothyroidism (CH) is a condition characterized by defective thyroid hormone synthesis and secretion due to insufcient stimulation by thyrotropin (TSH) of an otherwise normal thyroid gland.1,2 This disease can be a consequence of disorders affecting either the pituitary gland or the hypothalamus, but most frequently both of them. For this reason, the term central hypothyroidism is preferred to secondary hypothyroidism, which indicates hypothyroidism of pituitary origin, or tertiary hypothyroidism, which denes hypothyroidism of hypothalamic origin.