Prevalence of congenital hypothyroidism and its relation with some risk factors in Khoy health service centers

C ongenital hypothyroidism is one of the most common preventable causes in mental retardedness. The average incidence of the disease is estimated at 1 per 1000 births in Iran. This study is aimed to determin the prevalence of congenital hypothyroidism and its relation with some risk factors in Khoy health service centers. This prospective descriptive survey involved newborns with positive screening result of hypothyroidism. After estimating the prevalence of the disease, the risk factors were analyzed. There were 16 newborns with positive result. The tool used for collecting data was a questionnaires which included questions about personal specification and risk factors. SPSS software was used to analyze the data. Ahigh level of TSH (%57) was related to female fetus and %42.8 of TSH level was related to male fetus. Most of the newborns (%50) whose parent had consanguineous marriage showed high level of TSH. %50 of mothers used to have chicken during pregnancy and %7 had fish which shows the effect of diet with high level of TSH in newborns. R egarding the high prevalence of the disease in Iran and its irrecoverable effects on the brain, its early screening, diagnosis, and treatment is essential. Public training is necessary to increase the knowledge of people about methods of preventing the disease.