Iodotyrosyl coupling defect

Kanou et al. (2007) reviewed characteristics of thyroid dyshormonogenesis caused by mutations in the thyroglobulin (TG) gene. This form of thyroid dyshormonogenesis has an estimated prevalence of one in 100,000 newborns. Inherited in an autosomal recessive manner, the disorder in the majority of patients causes large goiters of elastic and soft consistency. Although the degree of thyroid dysfunction varies considerably among patients with defective TG synthesis, patients usually have a relatively high serum free T3 concentration with disproportionately low free T4 level. The maintenance of relatively high FT3 levels prevents profound tissue hypothyroidism except in brain and pituitary, which are dependent on T4 supply, resulting in neurologic and intellectual defects in some cases. [from OMIM]