The Prevalence of Congenital Hypothyroidism in the Newborns Referred to Health Centers in Borujerd from 2013-2014

Congenital hypothyroidism is one of the most common endocrine diseases. Moreover, it is one of the major causes of congenital mental disability in neonates which could be prevented by early diagnosis and treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the recalling and prevalence of congenital hypothyroidism in Borujerd.

This cross-sectional study was conducted using existing documents in the health centers of Borujerd. According to the national protocol, all neonates were called to the sampling centers of Borujerd within 3 and 5 days after birth. At this stage, infants with TSH>5 were recalled. According to the national guidelines for the screening with regard to congenital hypothyroidism, neonates with a TSH> 10 mlu/L and T4˂ 6.5 µg/dL were viewed as patients.

Of 13741 screened neonates, 1257 newborns were recalled. The recall rate was estimated to be 9.14%, of which 1114 infants had TSH ranging from 5 to 9.9 mlu/L, 120 infants had TSH ranging from 10 to 19.9 mlu/L, and 23 infants had TSH≥20 mlu/L. congenital hypothyroidism was diagnosed in 22 neonates. Hence, the prevalence of congenital hypothyroidism in Borujerd was 1.6 in 1000 live births.

The prevalence of congenital hypothyroidism in Borujerd is higher than the global standard. Hence, it is necessary to investigate the factors associated with the prevalence of this disease.