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. 1984 Jan;59(1):23–29. doi: 10.1136/adc.59.1.23

Outcome for congenital hypothyroidism.

J A Hulse
PMCID: PMC1628400  PMID: 6198974

Abstract

In a study designed to provide retrospective control data for a neonatal thyroid screening programme, the problems of 141 hypothyroid children were examined. The mean IQ (Weschler intelligence scale) was 79.5 for children with congenital hypothyroidism but was normal in 6 children diagnosed before age 6 weeks. Diagnostic delay was associated with a steady decline in mean IQ but there was an improvement in some late diagnosed cases. A strong association was found between IQ and parental social class. Twenty five percent of the children were mentally retarded and 29% were at special schools; 54% of children at normal schools and 43% at special schools showed deviant behaviour. Other problems included clumsiness (26.2%) and squints (26.2%), and these were more common in children with a lower IQ. Congenital hypothyroidism is associated with persistent morbidity in many aspects of cerebral function. The adverse effects of prenatal hypothyroidism are largely reversible if treated before age 6 weeks.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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