Study of the Efficacy of Therapeutic Interventions in Growth Normalization of Children with Congenital Hypothyroidism Detected By Neonatal Screening

The aim of this research was to determine the efficacy of therapeutic interventions applied to children with congenital hypothyroidism by evaluating of the growth status of the children and comparing the percentiles of their height, weight and head circumference with normal infants reported by WHO. In this prospective cohort study, 760 congenitally hypothyroid neonates diagnosed and followed up during the CH screening program in Isfahan were enrolled. The 3rd (i.e. Z score of -2), percentile for height, weight and head circumference of both sexes was determined and compared with the corresponding WHO values. Chi-square and one sample proportion statistical test using SPSS statistical software were used for analyzing data. The percentiles of weight, height and head circumferences of the patients studied were statistcally different from WHO values (P<0.01). The relative frequency ≤-2 Z scores for height in both male and female CH patients reached to between 3% and 9% at 5 years of age respectively. The relative frequency of ≤ -2 Z scores for head circumference reached to <3% at 3 years of age in both sexes. While the weight showed a decreasing trend during the treatment period, it was not significant below 3%. Therapeutic interventions lead to children having normal physical development in terms of height, weight and head circumference, but the catch up time was earlier for head circumference and later for weight.