Evaluation of patients diagnosed with congenital hypothyroidism by newborn screening between 2011–2019 in Diyarbakir, Turkey

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the incidence of congenital hypothyroidism in Turkey’s Diyarbakir Province and assess the development and growth conditions of people with congenital hypothyroidism. Patients born between 2011-2019 and diagnosed with congenital hypothyroidism within the scope of the newborn screening program were included. The medical records of these patients were retrospectively reviewed. The length and weight for age, weight for length, and body mass index standard deviation scores were calculated. We investigated the treatment status of the patients, whether their relatives had a similar disorder, and the presence of consanguinity between parents. Blood samples were collected from 380,592 newborns. As a result of further tests, 498 newborns were diagnosed with congenital hypothyroidism (incidence: 1/764). Demographic and anthropometric data of 241 patients were analyzed. The patients comprised 46.9% (n = 113) females and 53.1% (n = 128) males. It was determined that 44.4% of the individuals had transient congenital hypothyroidism and 53.6% had permanent congenital hypothyroidism. The parents of 29.8% of the individuals diagnosed with transient congenital hypothyroidism and 44.2% of the individuals diagnosed with permanent congenital hypothyroidism were consanguineous (P = .02). According to the latest anthropometric assessment, 6.8% of individuals diagnosed with congenital hypothyroidism had a weight z-score below −2 SD and 16.9% had a length z-score below −2 SD. The incidence of congenital hypothyroidism was higher in our region. The ratio of consanguinity between parents was higher in patients diagnosed with permanent congenital hypothyroidism than in those diagnosed with transient congenital hypothyroidism. According to the most recent follow-up, weight and age were found to be similar in patients with transient and permanent congenital hypothyroidism.