Essay On Congenital Hypothyroidism

Congenital hypothyroidism is when newborns have an insufficient amount of thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones are an important part of life. They involve the CNS system, cardiovascular system, reproductive system, appropriate growth/development, and metabolism. According to Agrawal (2015), “Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is the most common congenital endocrine disorder in childhood and is also one of the most preventable causes of mental retardation.” This disorder is difficult to diagnose because these hormones pass from the mother through the placenta to the fetus and can therefore still be present in the infant. Screening is imperative after birth to detect this disorder and to promptly begin treatment. Typically, they will do a blood test 2-5 days after birth. You want to avoid testing 48 hours after birth, if the newborn received a blood transfusion, or if he/she is sick. Some areas will even do a second test at 2-6 weeks of age. These blood tests will be testing the T4 and TSH levels. If the hormone levels are abnormal, they will begin treatment with medication. Studies show that the T4 level will stabilize within 2 weeks and the TSH level will stabilize within 4 weeks (Agrawal 2015). If it takes longer for these hormone …show more content…
Not only did I learn that initial testing is important but I learned about the many different tests included and frequent follow-up tests are needed to ensure the treatment is working. Medication for treatment is crushed and mixed into the infant’s formula or breast milk for ingestion. After having a diagnosis of hypothyroidism, they may choose to do a diagnostic test to determine the etiology of the disorder. There are many different diagnostic tests such as an ultrasound, a thyroid radionuclide uptake and scan, a 24 hour urine iodine estimation, or a serum thyroglobulin