Congenital hypothyroidism: a five-year retrospective study at Children's University Hospital, Damascus, Syria

Abstract

Background: Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is a treatable thyroid hormone deficiency that causes severe mental retardation and growth deficiency if not detected and treated early. The treatment of CH is simple, inexpensive, and effective. With early detection and treatment, infants usually develop normally without mental retardation and become productive members of society. In Syria, a screening program is not available, and there is no published information about the actual incidence of CH. However, an unpublished pilot study supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency showed that the incidence of CH in Syria is more than the global incidence, indicating the importance of the application of a CH screening program in Syria. Objectives: The present study aimed to collect baseline information about CH in Syria to estimate the potential need of a screening program. Materials and methods: This retrospective study was performed at Children's University Hospital, Damascus. The study included the medical records of patients who had CH as the final diagnosis between 2008 and 2012. Some patients were diagnosed elsewhere and were then admitted to the hospital within the same period. Results: In this study, 70 cases registered as CH, 67 of them had confirmed, 40 (57.1 %) were male and 30 (42.9%) were female. Among the patients, (51.4%, n = 36) involved parental consanguinity and 6 had a family history of hypothyroidism. Additionally, 74.3% were not diagnosed during the first month of life. The signs and symptoms most commonly detected were cretinoid face (60%), pallor (44.3%), delayed neuropsychomotor development (37.1%), growth failure (36.7%), jaundice (35.7%), and hypotonia (35.7%). Conclusion: A CH screening program is necessary in Syria owing to the low specificity of the signs and symptoms of CH, which can lead to delayed diagnosis, and the presence of asymptomatic cases (subclinical hypothyroidism).

Current Status of Newborn Bloodspot Screening Worldwide 2024: A Comprehensive Review of Recent Activities (2020–2023)

“…A 2015 report also summarized the results of a 5-year review of CAH cases and supported the idea of a mandatory NBS program, with further efforts needed to confirm its effectiveness in Syrian society [ 1414 ]. Another 2015 study looked at OAs and a 2019 study looked at CH with both concluding that NBS was needed [ 1415 , 1416 ]. Other reports supporting NBS are available in non-English journals.…”

Knowledge about Complication of Congenital Hypothyroidism among Parents in Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia

“…It is one of the main causes of avoidable mental delay in about 1:2,000 to 1:4,000 infants [1]. The published statistics show comparatively high incident CH in certain Arab nations, including Lebanon (1 in 1823), Bahrain (1, in 2967), Palestine (1 in 2133), Oman (1 in 2200), Saudi Arabia (1 in 2931), and Egypt with comparatively high occurrences of the CH in several Arab nations (Alexandria: 1 in 397412) [2].…”