Comparison of developmental status between early treated congenital hypothyroid and healthy control children

Early diagnosis and treatment of congenital hypothyroidism is the primary goal of neonates and children screening programs. This study aimed to evaluate and compare developmental skills in children with early-treated congenital hypothyroidism with healthy children using the Ages and Stages Questionnaires test (ASQ). A total of 40 neonates with congenital hypothyroidism diagnosed during neonatal screening (thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) > 10 mu/l) who were treated with Levothyroxine (10-15µ/kg) promptly within the first month of birth (after treatment, TSH < 4 mu/l) were evaluated for developmental skills using the ASQ test at 4, 8, and 12 months of age. The control group consisted of 40 healthy children matched with the case group in terms of age, sex, and socio-economic status. Chi-square and Fisher exact test were used with SPSS statistical software version 21 for analyzing the results. The overall mean ASQ score in case group was 262.7 ± 9.07, and in control group was 261.2 ± 8.49, which indicates no significant difference (P > 0.05). The ASQ test score increased significantly by age (P < 0.05). The girls' mean score of the ASQ test was significantly higher than boys in the case group (P < 0.05). Moreover, no significant difference was observed between the mean ASQ test score and the delivery type (P < 0.05). This study showed that the developmental skills in children under-treatment of congenital hypothyroidism were at the standard level, indicating the effectiveness of early treatment to avoid developmental disorders.