Congenital Hypothyroidism : A Variety of Clinical and Mental Signs

Background: Congenital Hypothyroidism (CH) is defined as a deficiency of the production of the thyroid hormones at birth. The main factors that cause CH is first of all the abnormal development of the thyroid gland and secondly the disorder of the thyroid hormones at the time of biosynthesis. Nowadays the neonatal screening provides us with the opportunity to have a prompt and valid diagnosis protecting the health of the foetus from the side effects of CH. In Cyprus data from an epidemiologic study show that in the decade between 1990 and 2000 the frequency of the disease comes up to 1:1800 children. Objective: The objective of this review is to look into the variety of clinical and mental signs that people with CH manifest. Methodology: Α complex research was conducted by the international and Greek bibliography from the databases Pubmed, Google Scholar and Scopus. The articles from the year 2005 onwards were studied. Results: The variety of clinical and mental signs of people with CH from the age of 2 to 26 years old were studied in the context of 10 relevant studies from all over the world. The spectre of clinical signs that is studied includes anatomic abnormalities, mobility problems, obesity problems, low fertility in women, partial deafness, vision problems and finally abnormalities in the urine system and kidneys. The spectre of the mental abilities is characterized by a poor quality of life, low self-esteem and a retarded socialisation. Finally, a special reference was made to the IQ due to the fact that the IQ is a major factor that can possibly affect both the mental and the