scholarly journals Gender disparities in screening for congenital hypothyroidism using thyroxine as a primary screen

2018 ◽  
Vol 179 (3) ◽  
pp. 161-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lenore DeMartino ◽  
Rebecca McMahon ◽  
Michele Caggana ◽  
Norma P Tavakoli

Objective Newborn screening for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is based on testing for the markers thyroxine (T4) and/or thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). Diagnosis of CH is complicated because many factors affect the levels of these hormones including infant birth weight, prematurity and age at specimen collection. We investigated whether the sex of the newborn affected the levels of T4 and TSH and consequently the outcome of newborn screening. Design In New York State, the Newborn Screening program initially tests all infants for T4 and any baby with a result in the lowest 10% is triaged for TSH screening. We analyzed data from 2008 to 2016 to determine mean and median T4 and TSH values and how these results correlate with the sex of infants who are reported as borderline, referred and confirmed with CH. Methods T4 and TSH concentrations in dried blood spots were measured using commercially available fluoroimmunoassays. Results From 2008 to 2016, of the 2.4 million specimens tested for thyroxine, 51.5% were from male and 48.5% were from female infants. Male infants constituted 60% of specimens triaged for TSH testing, 64.9% of repeat requests and 59.6% of referrals, but only 49% of confirmed CH cases. The mean and median T4 values were lower (a difference of approximately 0.8–1.1 μg/dL each year) and the median TSH values were higher in male compared to female infants. Conclusions Natural differences in thyroid hormone levels in male and female infants leads to male infants being disproportionately represented in the false-positive category.

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 90 (6) ◽  
pp. 1008-1009
Author(s):  
G. J. MIZEJEWSKI ◽  
K. A. PASS

To the Editor.— We recently have documented a relationship between serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) and congenital hypothyroidism (CH) in the newborn period. Previous studies in our laboratory and others had reported a relationship between elevated serum AFP and elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)/low thyroxine T4 in newborns and infants in the first few months of life.1-4 The New York State Newborn Screening Program for CH routinely screens more than 300 000 specimens per year diagnosing 120 to 140 confirmed cases of CH annually.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Altantuya Tsevgee ◽  
Khishigjargal Batjargal ◽  
Tsolmon Munkhchuluun ◽  
Naranchimeg Khurelbaatar ◽  
Gerelmaa Nansal ◽  
...  

Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is among the most common conditions leading to intellectual disability, which can be prevented by early detection through newborn screening (NBS). In Mongolia, a regional screening program for CH was launched in 2000, which was supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the Asia Pacific Region. In our present study, a total of 23,002 newborns from nine districts in Ulaanbaatar were screened between 2012 and 2020, by the measurement of the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) from dried blood spots, sampled 24 to 72 h after birth. The level of TSH was measured by the DELFIA assay. The overall CH prevalence confirmed at birth was 1/2091. The female-to-male ratio for CH cases was 1.8:1. The majority of patients were asymptomatic (72.7% of CH cases); umbilical hernia and cold or mottled skin were reported symptoms in patients with CH (27.3%). Thyroid dysgenesis (hypoplasia and agenesis) was the most common etiology, with a total of nine cases (81.8%) out of the eleven patients. The lapse between the birth date and the initiation of L-thyroxine treatment in CH-positive children was lower than 15 days in 63.64% of cases or 15 to 30 days in 36.36% of children. Further research is required to expand the screening coverage for CH in Mongolia.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 2333794X1456719 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Fan ◽  
Shaoke Chen ◽  
Jiale Qian ◽  
Suren Sooranna ◽  
Jingi Luo ◽  
...  

Background. A newborn screening program (NSP) for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) was carried out in Guangxi in order to understand the incidence of CH and the factors interrelated to major types of CH in this region of China. Methods. During 2009 to 2013, data from 930 612 newborns attending NSP in Guangxi were collected. Patients were classified with either permanent CH (PCH) or transient CH (TCH) after 2 years of progressive study. Results. A total of 1210 patients were confirmed with CH with an incidence of 1/769, including 68 PCH and 126 TCH cases with incidences of 1/6673 and 1/3385, respectively. The frequency of thyroid stimulating hormone values greater than 5 mIU/L was 7.2%, which, based on WHO guidelines, suggests that the population was mildly iodine deficient. Conclusions. The incidence of CH was high in Guangxi. Approximately two thirds of CH patients were TCH, which may be due to a deficiency in iodine within the population.


2019 ◽  
Vol 09 (01) ◽  
pp. 040-044 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jyotsna Verma ◽  
Papai Roy ◽  
Divya C. Thomas ◽  
Geetu Jhingan ◽  
Azad Singh ◽  
...  

AbstractNewborn screening (NBS) aims toward early detection of treatable congenital disorders. From January 2008 through December 2017, 13,376 newborns were screened for congenital hypothyroidism (CH), congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, India, by measuring G6PD activity, thyroid-stimulating hormone, and 17-hydroxyprogesterone on dried blood specimens. The birth prevalence of 1:2,000 for CH, 1:2,500 for CAH, and 1:125 for G6PD deficiency indicates the latter as the most prevalent. Performance evaluation of testing reveals a robust screening program with 100% sensitivity and >99% specificity. Hence, we recommend NBS for early diagnosis and treatment to prevent adverse outcomes.


2008 ◽  
Vol 42 (14) ◽  
pp. 5361-5367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry M. Spliethoff ◽  
Lin Tao ◽  
Shannon M. Shaver ◽  
Kenneth M. Aldous ◽  
Kenneth A. Pass ◽  
...  

Background: Iodine deficiency is associated with goiter and impaired brain function. Neonatal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) screening for congenital hypothyroidism used as an indicator of the degree of iodine deficiency and of its control. An increased frequency of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) measurements above 5 mIU/L in newborn screening corresponds to the impaired iodine status of the population. The aim: to estimate the iodine deficiency and the effectiveness of iodine prophylaxis in Krasnoyarsk territory, Republics of Tuva and Khakassia according the results of neonatal TSH_screening. Methods: An 18-year analysis was performed in 34,980 newborns participating in the national thyroid newborn screening program. The TSH concentration was measured in dry blood spots collected by heel stick on filter paper, 96 hours after birth, using DELFIA method. Results: According to the data of the congenital hypothyroidism screening the rate of TSH < 5 mU/1 was 11.8% in Krasnoyarsk territory (23.9% in 2000) and corresponded to mild iodine deficiency. In different regions of Krasnoyarsk territory the rate of TSH < 5 mU/1 in the newborn varied from 3.5% to 23.7%. The highest values were marked in the Arctic peninsula Taimyr, in cities Zheleznogorsk (nuclear facility) and Sosnovoborsk, in Irbeysky, Suchobuzimsky, Eniseysky, Tuchtetsky, Novoselovsky regions (20.9–23.7%). In the Republic of Khakasia the rate of TSH < 5 mU/1 was 12.5%. In the Republic of Tyva the rate of TSH < 5 mU/1 was – 6.6% (38.6% in 1997; 11.5% in 2000). These results indicate mild iodine deficiency. Conclusion: Our investigations show mild iodine deficiency in Central Siberia demanding continuous adequate iodine prevention. Additional assessment of the iodine intake in the regions with mild iodine deficiency is needed to prevent suboptimal cognitive and psychomotor outcomes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 150 (9) ◽  
pp. 2429-2434
Author(s):  
James L Mills ◽  
Elijah C Reische ◽  
Kurunthachalam Kannan ◽  
Chongjing Gao ◽  
Gary M Shaw ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Background Severe iodine deficiency or excess during pregnancy can cause congenital hypothyroidism (CH). Iodine deficiency is common in pregnant women in the United States. Objectives We conducted a nested case–control study in a cohort of ∼2.5 million births in California to determine whether iodine status is related to CH in a US population. Methods Dried blood spots from 907 newborns with CH identified by newborn screening and 909 unaffected controls matched by month of birth were obtained from the California Newborn Screening Program to measure whole-blood iodine concentration. Iodine status was compared between cases and controls, and logistic regression was used to assess the association between CH status and blood iodine concentrations. Iodine status was also compared between cases and controls among infants treated in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) because CH has been reported in infants exposed to high levels of iodine in the NICU. Results Blood iodine concentrations did not differ significantly between cases (median: 20.0 ng/mL; IQR: 12.1–29.8 ng/mL) and controls (median: 20.3 ng/mL; IQR: 12.5–30.9 ng/mL; P = 0.59). Neither extremely high nor extremely low blood iodine concentrations (1st, 5th, 95th, and 99th percentiles of the distribution) were more common in cases. Among infants treated in NICUs, however, cases had significantly (P = 0.01) higher iodine (median: 22.7 ng/mL; IQR: 16.4–32.1 ng/mL) compared with controls (median: 17.3 ng/mL; IQR: 8.3–26.6 ng/mL). Conclusions CH cases did not have significantly higher or lower iodine in this population, which is reassuring given that maternal iodine deficiency is common in the United States. Among newborns in the NICU, CH cases had higher blood iodine concentrations compared with controls, suggesting that excess iodine exposure in the NICU could be causing CH. It may be beneficial to monitor iodine exposure from surgical procedures, imaging, and iodine-containing disinfectants and to consider non-iodine alternatives.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 601-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kui Deng ◽  
Chunhua He ◽  
Jun Zhu ◽  
Juan Liang ◽  
Xiaohong Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is one of the most frequent, preventable causes of mental retardation. Little has been reported on the epidemiological characteristics of CH in China. We aimed to estimate the incidence of CH in China and investigate its geographical variation. Methods: We analyzed data from the nationwide newborn screening program for CH between 2013 and 2015. Poisson regression was used to generate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) between the rates of CH and selected demographic characteristics and assess the potential association between CH incidence and geographical locations. Results: A total of 18,666 patients with CH were identified from 45.2 million newborns, yielding an overall incidence rate of 4.13 per 10,000 live births. Compared with those in the remote area, regardless of infant sex, a higher incidence risk for CH was present in newborns in coastal areas and inland areas (females: OR=2.00, 95% CI: 1.86–2.16 and OR=1.74, 95% CI: 1.61–1.87, respectively; males: OR=1.70, 95% CI: 1.59–1.83 and OR=1.52, 95% CI: 1.42–1.63, respectively). Additionally, the highest risk of CH for thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) screening values <40 mU/L was observed among neonates in the coastal areas, while TSH screening values of 70–100 mU/L were observed among those in the inland areas. Conclusions: The overall incidence of CH is high in China. The significant geographical variations of CH incidence are presented in this study.


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