Should All Newborns Be Screened for Congenital Hypothyroidism?

This transcript has been edited for clarity.

Kaniksha Desai, MD: Welcome, everyone, to another episode of the Thyroid Stimulating Podcast, created in conjunction and collaboration with the American Thyroid Association to discuss up-to-date diagnosis and management of thyroid diseases. I'm your host, Dr Kaniksha Desai, and today we're diving into our very first pediatric topic, congenital hypothyroidism.

This condition, if left untreated, can lead to lifelong intellectual disability but is entirely preventable with early detection and treatment. Did you know that congenital hypothyroidism affects about 1 in 2000 to 1 in 4000 newborns worldwide? It's one of the most common preventable causes of intellectual disability. Thanks to newborn screening programs we have, most affected infants are diagnosed and treated early to prevent this disability.

Despite these advancements, challenges remain in awareness, access to care, and long-term management. A missed or delayed diagnosis can have lifelong consequences on brain development, growth, and overall health. While treatment is very effective, there are still gaps in follow-up care and education for parents as well as healthcare providers.

We are honored to have Dr Larry Fox join us today for a great discussion on congenital hypothyroidismDr Fox is a professor of pediatrics at Mayo Medical School and is chief of pediatric endocrinology at Nemours Children's Health in Jacksonville, Florida, where he has served for over 25 years.