Neonatal screening for congenital hypothyroidism in Pakistan.

M. Lakhani, M. Khurshid, S. H. Naqvi, M. Akber

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Congenital hypothyroidism is a preventable cause of mental retardation. Since clinical signs of congenital hypothyroidism do not generally become obvious before three months of age, screening programmes have been introduced in North America and Europe, which consist of T4 or TSH screening on newborn infants on the third day of life. The screening for congenital hypothyroidism was initiated in Pakistan by the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) in March 1987. By April 1988, 5000 neonates were screened and five cases of congenital hypothyroidism were diagnosed. The study revealed the incidence of hypothyroidism to be one case per 1000 newborns which is about 4 times more than that in the West.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)282-284
Number of pages3
JournalJournal of the Pakistan Medical Association
Volume39
Issue number11
Publication statusPublished - Nov 1989

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