Thyroid Function Screening in Newborn: A Literature Review

Abstract

The thyroid hormone has a vital role in the growth and maturation of many target tissues, especially the brain and bone. Abnormalities of thyroid gland function in neonates not only cause metabolic disorders such as thyroid disorders in adults but also cause tissue abnormalities whose growth and maturation depend on thyroid hormone. Furthermore, they are at high risk for permanent mental retardation if they do not get treatment immediately. Thyroid function abnormalities often do not show typical clinical signs and symptoms at birth, even though the duration of early intervention is very short to prevent mental retardation. Therefore, it is important to detect thyroid abnormalities in infants early through thyroid hormone screening in neonates. Most states use TSH for primary screening, with T4 as the second level of testing. Testing before the recommended time will detect a physiological TSH spike, causing a falsely abnormal result. The earlier the detection and treatment of hypothyroidism, the better the patient's prognosis.