Table 6. Characteristics of the clusters in 130 screened children and the number of permanent congenital hypothyroidism (PCH) in each cluster.
| Characteristics | Cluster 1 (n = 80) | Cluster 2 (n = 8) | Cluster 3 (n = 42) | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age of treatment (days) | 53 (39) | 36 (19) | 55 (30) | 0.113 |
| Gender Male n (%) | 50 (62.5) | 4 (50.0) | 21 (50.0) | 0.376 |
| Blood spot TSH | 6.3 (1.6) | 96.1 (109.2) | 7.4 (4.7) | <0.0001 |
| Initial serum TSH | 5.5 (1.7) | 238.0 (259.0) | 8.7 (10.1) | <0.0001 |
| Initial serum fT4 | 1.1 (0.1) | 0.4 (0.3) | 1.0 (0.2) | <0.0001 |
| PCH in Cluster n (%) | 0 (0) | 7 (87.5) | 42 (100) | <0.0001 |
Values expressed as median (interquartile range) and compared by the Kruskal-Wallis's test, unless for gender and PCH cases in Cluster expressed in n (%). The pairwise comparisons showed for neonatal blood spot TSH that Cluster 1 x Cluster 2: p < 0.0001, Cluster 2 x Cluster 3: p = 0.003, Cluster 1 x Cluster 3: p = 0.031. For serum initial TSH, Cluster 2 x Cluster 1: p < 0.0001, Cluster 2 x Cluster 3: p = 0.019, Cluster 1 x Cluster 3: p < 0.0001. For serum initial fT4, Cluster 1 x Cluster 2: p < 0.0001, Cluster 1 x Cluster 3: p < 0.0001.