What are the consequences of congenital hypothyroidism?
Affected babies may show no features of the condition, although some babies with congenital hypothyroidism are less active and sleep more than normal. They may have difficulty feeding and experience constipation. If untreated, congenital hypothyroidism can lead to intellectual disability and slow growth.
What are the signs of congenital hypothyroidism?
What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Congenital Hypothyroidism?
- jaundice (yellow skin or eyes)
- sleeping longer or more often than usual.
- constipation.
- a large soft spot (fontanel) on the head.
- large, swollen tongue.
- weak (“floppy”) muscle tone.
- swelling around the eyes.
- poor or slow growth.
What is due to congenital hypothyroidism?
Congenital hypothyroidism, previously known as cretinism, is a severe deficiency of thyroid hormone in newborns. It causes impaired neurological function, stunted growth, and physical deformities.
What does congenital hypothyroidism do to babies?
If a baby doesn’t make enough thyroid hormones, it can cause serious problems, such as mental disability, growth delays, or loss of hearing. The condition needs to be treated as soon as possible to lower the chance of these problems long-term.
Is congenital hypothyroidism considered a disability?
Congenital hypothyroidism is one of the most common treatable causes of intellectual disability. Screening programs have been established in most developed countries to detect and treat this disorder, which affects approximately 1 in 2000 to 1 in 4000 newborns [1,2].
Can you grow out of congenital hypothyroidism?
Some babies born with congenital hypothyroidism may need lifelong treatment to support normal growth and development but others will likely outgrow the condition.
Does hypothyroidism cause big babies?
Overall, 7.3% of participants had subclinical hypothyroidism. Boy babies whose mothers had subclinical hypothyroidism had increased odds for large for gestational age and significantly higher birth weights compared with boys whose mothers did not have subclinical hypothyroidism.
Can hypothyroidism cause autism?
Severe hypothyroidism in the mother was associated with almost 4-times the risk of the baby being diagnosed with autism as compared to women with normal thyroid tests. Babies born to women with low thyroid hormone levels but a normal TSH did not have an increased risk of autism.
Why does hypothyroidism cause mental retardation?
Consequently, iodine deficiency, if severe enough to affect thyroid hormone synthesis during this critical period, will result in hypothyroidism and brain damage. The clinical consequence will be mental retardation.
Does hypothyroidism shorten life expectancy?
If you keep your hypothyroidism well-controlled, it will not shorten your life span. WHAT CAUSES HYPOTHYROIDISM? There can be many reasons why the cells in the thyroid gland can’t make enough thyroid hormone. Here are the major causes, from the most to the least common.
Does hypothyroidism cause mental retardation?
Hypothyroidism is the most common thyroid disorder. However, children with the disorder display different symptoms from adults. Hypothyroidism in the newborn, when left untreated, can lead to mental retardation.