Screening, incidense, and causes of congenital hypothyroidism

Abstract

Background: The clinical symptoms of congenital primary hypothyroidism are vague in the first days of life, usually after 1 month, leading to physical and mental retardation. Early detection and prompt treatment can prevent this danger. Objective: To analyze the screening, prevalence and causes, of congenital primary hypothyroidism. Material and methods: Through the HINARI website run by the World Health Organization, 19 research articles on topical situations from internationally recognized and high-ranking journals for 2015-2020 were read, compared, and analyzed worldwide. Results: Neonatal screening began in 1960 and now covers more than 80 countries with primary hypothyroidism, covering 1-99% of all births. The disease occurs in 1 in 2000-4000 live births and is caused by underdevelopment of the thyroid gland, abnormalities in location, and mutations in some genes. Conclusion: Increasing neonatal screening coverage in countries reduces infant mortality and morbidity. The prevalence of congenital primary hypothyroidism in the world is 1: 3000-1: 4000 on average, and the main causes are hyperthyroidism, structural changes, positional abnormalities, and mutations in some genes. Increasing neonatal screening coverage in countries has reduced infant mortality and morbidity.