Ask the Expert

Growth and Nutrition Experts’s Bio Image

Get answers to your child's growth, nutrition, and feeding behavior questions.

Growth and Nutrition Experts’s Bio | Q&A Archive

Note: This is for informational purposes only. Doctors cannot provide a diagnosis or individual treatment advice via e-mail. Please consult your physician about your specific health care concerns.

Please install flash player to see this video.

Neonatal hypothyroidism - Overview

Alternative Names

Cretinism; Congenital hypothyroidism; Hypothyroidism - infants

Definition of Neonatal hypothyroidism:

Neonatal hypothyroidism is decreased thyroid hormone production in a newborn. In very rare cases, no thyroid hormone is produced.

If the baby was born with the condition, it is called congenital hypothyroidism. If it develops soon after birth, it is referred to as hypothyroidism acquired in the newborn period.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Hypothyroidism in the newborn may be caused by:

A missing or abnormally developed thyroid gland
Pituitary gland's failure to stimulate the thyroid
Defective or abnormal formation of thyroid hormones

Incomplete development of the thyroid is the most common defect and occurs in about 1 out of every 3,000 births. Girls are affected twice as often than boys.

Reviewed last on: 8/15/2007
Alan Greene, MD, FAAP, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital; Chief Medical Officer, A.D.A.M., Inc. Previously reviewed by Robert Hurd, MD, Professor of Endocrinology, Department of Biology, Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH, and physician in the Primary Care Clinic, Cincinnati Veterans Administration Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. (7/17/2007)

References

Harris KB, Pass KA. Increase in congenital hypothyroidism in New York State and in the United States. Mol Genet Metab. 2007; 91(3):268-277.

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

Home > Medical Reference > Encyclopedia (English)