Neonatal screening for congenital hypothyroidism in East Azerbaijan, Iran: the first report

Abstract

Objectives To investigate the prevalence of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) among neonates in East Azerbaijan, Iran. Methods A cross-sectional study conducted from 2009 to 2010. Most heel blood samples were taken between three and seven days of birth. Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) was tested using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Neonates with abnormal screening results (TSH>20 mIU/L, T4<6.5 mg/dL) were re-examined. Data were analysed using SPSS software. Results A total of 62,459 infants were screened. Of 1562 re-called subjects (re-call rate 2.5%), 94 cases with CH were detected, yielding a CH prevalence of 1:666 (female:male ratio 1:1.4). Conclusion The prevalence of CH in East Azerbaijan province is higher in comparison with worldwide levels. These results emphasize the importance of the neonatal screening programme.