Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is defined as a thyroid hormone deficiency present from birth.
Summary
Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is defined as a thyroid hormone deficiency present from birth.Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is defined as a thyroid hormone deficiency present from birth.
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Resource(s) for Medical Professionals and Scientists on This Disease:
This section is currently in development.
About Congenital hypothyroidism
Many rare diseases have limited information. Currently, GARD aims to provide the following information for this disease:
Population Estimate:Fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S. have thisdisease.
Symptoms:May start to appear during Pregnancy and as a Newborn.
Cause:This disease is caused by a change in the genetic material (DNA).
Organizations:Patient organizations are available to help find a specialist, or advocacy and support for this specific disease.
Newborn Screening:This disease may be detected through newborn screening tests performed soon afterbirth.
Categories:GeneticdiseasesEndocrinediseases
Causes
What Causes This Disease?
Genetic Mutations
Congenital hypothyroidism is caused by genetic mutations, also known as pathogenic variants. Genetic mutations can be hereditary, when parents pass them down to their children, or they may occur randomly when cells are dividing. Genetic mutations may also result from contracted viruses, environmental factors, such as UV radiation from sunlight exposure, or a combination of any of these. Learn more about genetic diseases from the National Library of Medicine (NLM).
If you suspect you may have this disease, you may want to start collecting your family health history. Information such as other family members who have had similar symptoms, when their/your symptoms first appeared, or exposures to any potential disease-causing environmental factors should be discussed with your medical team. This tool from the Surgeon General can help you collect your family health history.
Can This Disease Be Passed Down From Parent to Child?
Yes. It is possible for a biological parent to pass down genetic mutations that cause or increase the chances of getting this disease to their child. This is known as inheritance. Knowing whether other family members have previously had this disease, also known as family health history, can be very important information for your medical team. This tool from the Surgeon General can help you collect your family health history.
There are multiple ways, or patterns, a disease can be inherited depending on the gene(s) involved. Based on GARD's current data, this disease can be inherited in the following pattern(s):
Autosomal Recessive
Autosomal means the gene involved is located on one of the numbered chromosomes. Recessive means that a child must inherit two copies of the mutated gene, one from each biological parent, to be affected by the disease. A carrier is a person who only has one copy of the genetic mutation. A carrier usually doesn't show any symptoms of the disease.
If both biological parents are carriers, there is a 25% their child inherits both copies of the mutated gene and is affected by the disease. Additionally, there is a 50% chance their child inherits only one copy of the mutated gene and is a carrier.
When Do Symptoms of Congenital hypothyroidism Begin?
Symptoms of this disease may start to appear during Pregnancy and as a Newborn.
The age symptoms may begin to appear differs between diseases. Symptoms may begin in a single age range, or during several age ranges. The symptoms of some diseases may begin at any age. Knowing when symptoms may have appeared can help medical providers find the correct diagnosis.
Prenatal Selected
Before Birth
Newborn Selected
Birth-4 weeks
Infant
1-23 months
Child
2-11 years
Adolescent
12-18 years
Adult
19-65 years
Older Adult
65+ years
Symptoms may start to appear during Pregnancy and as a Newborn.
Symptoms
The types of symptoms experienced, and their intensity, may vary among people with this disease. Your experience may be different from others. Consult your health care team for more information.
The following describes the symptom(s) associated with this disease along with the corresponding body system(s), description, synonyms, and frequency (Note: Not all possible symptoms may be listed):
Digestive System Digestive System
48 Symptoms
48 Symptoms
48 Symptoms
Body Systems
Symptoms related to this disease may affect different systems of the body. Use the 'Filter and Sort' function to learn more about which body system(s) are affected by this disease and their associated symptom(s).
Synonyms:Abnormality of the eyelid; Abnormality of the eyelids
Frequency
Uncommon
Frequent
Frequent
Always
Abnormal hair morphology
An abnormality of the hair.
Synonyms:Abnormality of the hair; Hair abnormality
Frequency
Uncommon
Frequent
Frequent
Always
Abnormal pericardium morphology
An abnormality of the pericardium, i.e., of the fluid filled sac that surrounds the heart and the proximal ends of the aorta, vena cava, and the pulmonary artery.
Synonyms:Abnormality of the pericardium
Frequency
Uncommon
Occasional
Occasional
Always
Abnormality of epiphysis morphology
An anomaly of epiphysis, which is the expanded articular end of a long bone that developes from a secondary ossification center, and which during the period of growth is either entirely cartilaginous or is separated from the shaft by a cartilaginous disk.
Synonyms:Abnormal shape of end part of bone; Abnormality of the epiphyses; Anomaly of the epiphyses; Epiphyseal abnormality
Frequency
Uncommon
Occasional
Occasional
Always
Abnormality of reproductive system physiology
An abnormal functionality of the genital system.
Synonyms:Abnormality of reproductive system physiology; Genital functional abnormality
Frequency
Uncommon
Occasional
Occasional
Always
Abnormality of the eye
Any abnormality of the eye, including location, spacing, and intraocular abnormalities.
Synonyms:Abnormal eye; Abnormality of the eye
Frequency
Uncommon
Occasional
Occasional
Always
Abnormality of the face
An abnormality of the face.
Synonyms:Abnormal face; Abnormality of the face; Facial abnormality
Frequency
Uncommon
Very frequent
Very frequent
Always
Abnormality of the thyroid gland
An abnormality of the thyroid gland.
Synonyms:Abnormality of the thyroid gland; Thyroid abnormality
Frequency
Uncommon
Very frequent
Very frequent
Always
Abnormality of vision
Abnormality of eyesight (visual perception).
Synonyms:Abnormality of sight; Abnormality of vision; Vision issue
Frequency
Uncommon
Occasional
Occasional
Always
Angiokeratoma corporis diffusum
Synonyms:Fabry syndrome
Frequency
Uncommon
Frequent
Frequent
Always
Anosmia
An inability to perceive odors. This is a general term describing inability to smell arising in any part of the process of smelling from absorption of odorants into the nasal mucous overlying the olfactory epithelium, diffusion to the cilia, binding to olfactory receptor sites, generation of action potentials in olfactory neurons, and perception of a smell.
Synonyms:Loss of smell; Lost smell
Frequency
Uncommon
Frequent
Frequent
Always
Anterior hypopituitarism
A condition of reduced function of the anterior pituitary gland characterized by decreased secretion of one or more of the pituitary hormones growth hormone, thyroid-stimulating hormone, adrenocorticotropic hormone, prolactin, luteinizing hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone.
Frequency
Uncommon
Occasional
Occasional
Always
Anxiety
Intense feelings of nervousness, tenseness, or panic, often in reaction to interpersonal stresses; worry about the negative effects of past unpleasant experiences and future negative possibilities; feeling fearful, apprehensive, or threatened by uncertainty; fears of falling apart or losing control.
Synonyms:Anxiety; Anxiousness; Excessive, persistent worry and fear
Frequency
Uncommon
Frequent
Frequent
Always
Arrhythmia
Any cardiac rhythm other than the normal sinus rhythm. Such a rhythm may be either of sinus or ectopic origin and either regular or irregular. An arrhythmia may be due to a disturbance in impulse formation or conduction or both.
A cataract is an opacity or clouding that develops in the crystalline lens of the eye or in its capsule.
Synonyms:Cataracts; Clouding of the lens of the eye; Cloudy lens; Lens opacities; Lens opacity
Frequency
Uncommon
Occasional
Occasional
Always
Coarse facial features
Absence of fine and sharp appearance of brows, nose, lips, mouth, and chin, usually because of rounded and heavy features or thickened skin with or without thickening of subcutaneous and bony tissues.
Lack of prominence of the nose resulting from a posteriorly-placed nasal ridge.
Synonyms:Depressed dorsum of nose; Depressed nasal dorsum; Flat dorsum of nose; Flat nasal dorsum; Flat nose; Recessed dorsum of nose; Recessed nasal dorsum; Recessed nasal ridge; Retruded dorsum of nose; Retruded nasal dorsum; Retruded nasal ridge
Frequency
Uncommon
Frequent
Frequent
Always
Depression
Frequent feelings of being down, miserable, and/or hopeless; difficulty recovering from such moods; pessimism about the future; pervasive shame; feeling of inferior self-worth; thoughts of suicide and suicidal behavior.
Synonyms:Depression; Depressivity
Frequency
Uncommon
Frequent
Frequent
Always
Feeding difficulties in infancy
Impaired feeding performance of an infant as manifested by difficulties such as weak and ineffective sucking, brief bursts of sucking, and falling asleep during sucking. There may be difficulties with chewing or maintaining attention.
Frequency
Uncommon
Very frequent
Very frequent
Always
Global developmental delay
A delay in the achievement of motor or mental milestones in the domains of development of a child, including motor skills, speech and language, cognitive skills, and social and emotional skills. This term should only be used to describe children younger than five years of age.
Synonyms:Delayed cognitive development; Delayed development; Delayed developmental milestones; Delayed intellectual development; Delayed milestones; Delayed psychomotor development; Developmental delay; Developmental delay in early childhood; Developmental delay, global; Developmental retardation; Lack of psychomotor development; Motor and developmental delay; Psychomotor delay; Psychomotor development deficiency; Psychomotor development failure; Psychomotor developmental delay; Retarded development; Retarded mental development; Retarded psychomotor development
Frequency
Uncommon
Frequent
Frequent
Always
Goiter
An enlargement of the thyroid gland.
Synonyms:Enlarged thyroid gland in neck; Thyroid goiter
Frequency
Uncommon
Occasional
Occasional
Always
Hearing impairment
A decreased magnitude of the sensory perception of sound.
Hypotonia is an abnormally low muscle tone (the amount of tension or resistance to movement in a muscle). Even when relaxed, muscles have a continuous and passive partial contraction which provides some resistance to passive stretching. Hypotonia thus manifests as diminished resistance to passive stretching. Hypotonia is not the same as muscle weakness, although the two conditions can co-exist.
Subnormal intellectual functioning which originates during the developmental period. Intellectual disability, previously referred to as mental retardation, has been defined as an IQ score below 70.
In newborns, the two frontal bones, two parietal bones, and one occipital bone are joined by fibrous sutures, which form a small posterior fontanelle, and a larger, diamond-shaped anterior fontanelle. These regions allow for the skull to pass the birth canal and for later growth. The fontanelles gradually ossify, whereby the posterior fontanelle usually closes by eight weeks and the anterior fontanelle by the 9th to 16th month of age. Large fontanelles are diagnosed if the fontanelles are larger than age-dependent norms.
Synonyms:Enlarged fontanelles; Large fontanel; Large fontanelle; Large fontanels; Persistent wide fontanel; Wide fontanelles
Frequency
Uncommon
Very frequent
Very frequent
Always
Large posterior fontanelle
An enlargement of the posterior fontanelle relative to age-dependent norms.
Synonyms:Large posterior fontanel
Frequency
Uncommon
Very frequent
Very frequent
Always
Macroglossia
Increased length and width of the tongue.
Synonyms:Abnormally large tongue; Hyperplasia of the tongue; Hypertrophy of the tongue; Increased size of tongue; Large tongue; Tongue hypertrophy
Atrophy of the optic nerve. Optic atrophy results from the death of the retinal ganglion cell axons that comprise the optic nerve and manifesting as a pale optic nerve on fundoscopy.
The presence of a cleft in the oral cavity, the two main types of which are cleft lip and cleft palate. In cleft lip, there is the congenital failure of the maxillary and median nasal processes to fuse, forming a groove or fissure in the lip. In cleft palate, there is a congenital failure of the palate to fuse properly, forming a grooved depression or fissure in the roof of the mouth. Clefts of the lip and palate can occur individually or together. It is preferable to code each defect separately.
Synonyms:Cleft of the mouth; Oral clefting
Frequency
Uncommon
Occasional
Occasional
Always
Paresthesia
Abnormal sensations such as tingling, pricking, or numbness of the skin with no apparent physical cause.
Synonyms:Paresthesias; Pins and needles feeling; Tingling
Frequency
Uncommon
Occasional
Occasional
Always
Prolonged neonatal jaundice
Neonatal jaundice refers to a yellowing of the skin and other tissues of a newborn infant as a result of increased concentrations of bilirubin in the blood. Neonatal jaundice affects over half of all newborns to some extent in the first week of life. Prolonged neonatal jaundice is said to be present if the jaundice persists for longer than 14 days in term infants and 21 days in preterm infants.
Synonyms:Neonatal jaundice; Prolonged yellowing of skin in newborn
Frequency
Uncommon
Very frequent
Very frequent
Always
Reduced tendon reflexes
Diminution of tendon reflexes, which is an invariable sign of peripheral nerve disease.
Synonyms:Absent or decreased deep tendon reflexes; Decreased deep tendon reflexes; Decreased tendon reflexes; Decreased to absent deep tendon reflexes; Decreased/absent deep tendon reflexes; Depressed tendon reflexes; Diminished deep tendon reflexes; Diminished or absent deep tendon reflexes; Diminished or absent tendon reflexes; Hypoactive to absent deep tendon reflexes; Impaired tendon reflexes; Reduced/absent deep tendon reflexes; Weak or absent deep tendon reflexes
Frequency
Uncommon
Frequent
Frequent
Always
Short stature
A height below that which is expected according to age and gender norms. Although there is no universally accepted definition of short stature, many refer to "short stature" as height more than 2 standard deviations below the mean for age and gender (or below the 3rd percentile for age and gender dependent norms).
Synonyms:Decreased body height; Height less than 3rd percentile; Short stature; Small stature; Stature below 3rd percentile
Frequency
Uncommon
Frequent
Frequent
Always
Sinusitis
Inflammation of the paranasal sinuses owing to a viral, bacterial, or fungal infection, allergy, or an autoimmune reaction.
Synonyms:Sinus inflammation
Frequency
Uncommon
Frequent
Frequent
Always
Sleep disturbance
An abnormality of sleep including such phenomena as 1) insomnia/hypersomnia, 2) non-restorative sleep, 3) sleep schedule disorder, 4) excessive daytime somnolence, 5) sleep apnea, and 6) restlessness.
An abnormal connection (fistula) between the esophagus and the trachea.
Frequency
Uncommon
Occasional
Occasional
Always
Umbilical hernia
Protrusion of abdominal contents through a defect in the abdominal wall musculature around the umbilicus. Skin and subcutaneous tissue overlie the defect.
Synonyms:Umbilical hernias
Frequency
Uncommon
Very frequent
Very frequent
Always
Diagnostic Journey
On average, it takes more than six years to receive an accurate rare disease diagnosis. Many primary care providers (PCPs) may not be familiar with rare diseases, and you may need to see multiple specialists to reach the correct diagnosis. However, advocating for yourself with your healthcare team may help speed your time to diagnosis. To combat common challenges, be prepared:
Find disease-specific information to discuss with your healthcare providers.
Ask for diagnostic tests.
Request referrals to specialists.
Knowing where to start your diagnostic journey and how to navigate the next steps are critical to speeding your time to diagnosis
Your Diagnostic Team
How can a diagnostic team help?
Establishing care with a dedicated primary care provider (PCP) is an important early step in your rare disease journey. A PCP can help improve care and shorten the time to diagnosis by providing referrals to the appropriate specialists. These specialists, with advanced training in different body systems or types of diseases, can offer the specialized diagnostic procedures you need.
Diagnostic teams for Congenital hypothyroidism may include:
Multidisciplinary Care Centers
Is it time to find a multidisciplinary care center?
If you've visited your PCP, met with specialists, and undergone the recommended tests, but still do not have a confirmed diagnosis, it may be time to visit a multidisciplinary care center. Multidisciplinary care centers are usually teaching, university, or research hospitals that have teams of medical experts and specialists working together in the same location. This means a wide range of diagnostic tests and clinical knowledge are available at one facility, which can help increase communication and collaboration among your care team. The additional resources often available at multidisciplinary centers may help speed the time to diagnosis for rare diseases.
Is it time to find a multidisciplinary care center?
If you've visited your PCP, met with specialists, and undergone the recommended tests, but still do not have a confirmed diagnosis, it may be time to visit a multidisciplinary care center. Multidisciplinary care centers are usually teaching, university, or research hospitals that have teams of medical experts and specialists working together in the same location. This means a wide range of diagnostic tests and clinical knowledge are available at one facility, which can help increase communication and collaboration among your care team. The additional resources often available at multidisciplinary centers may help speed the time to diagnosis for rare diseases.
If a diagnosis remains unknown despite extensive efforts by your PCP and specialists, it can be challenging to know what kind of expert you may need or where to find one. A rare disease expert is a care provider that has knowledge or training on specific disease(s), but there may only be a few experts in your state, region, or country. Rare disease experts may work at large research or teaching hospitals. In complex cases, coordinating with a network of experts can help your care provider find the right diagnosis. Contact a GARD Information Specialist for help finding an expert.
You can ask your care providers for help finding an expert or use directory tools to search for experts near you. The following organization(s) may maintain a list of experts or expert centers for people living with Congenital hypothyroidism:
If a diagnosis remains unknown despite extensive efforts by your PCP and specialists, it can be challenging to know what kind of expert you may need or where to find one. A rare disease expert is a care provider that has knowledge or training on specific disease(s), but there may only be a few experts in your state, region, or country. Rare disease experts may work at large research or teaching hospitals. In complex cases, coordinating with a network of experts can help your care provider find the right diagnosis. Contact a GARD Information Specialist for help finding an expert.
You can ask your care providers for help finding an expert or use directory tools to search for experts near you. The following organization(s) may maintain a list of experts or expert centers for people living with Congenital hypothyroidism:
Patient organizations can help patients and families connect. They build public awareness of the disease and are a driving force behind research to improve patients' lives. They may offer online and in-person resources to help people live well with their disease. Many collaborate with medical experts and researchers.
Services of patient organizations differ, but may include:
Ways to connect to others and share personal stories
Easy-to-read information
Up-to-date treatment and research information
Patient registries
Lists of specialists or specialty centers
Financial aid and travel resources
Please note: GARD provides organizations for informational purposes only and not as an endorsement of their services. Please contact an organization directly if you have questions about the information or resources it provides.
Clinical studies are part of clinical research and play an important role in medical advances, including for rare diseases. Through clinical studies, researchers may ultimately uncover better ways to treat, prevent, diagnose, and understand human diseases.
What Are Clinical Studies?
Clinical studies are medical research involving people as participants. There are two main types of clinical studies:
Clinical trials determine if a new test or treatment for a disease is effective and safe by comparing groups receiving different tests/treatments.
Observational studies involve recording changes over time among a specific group of people in their natural settings.
People participate in clinical trials for many reasons. People with a disease may participate to receive the newest possible treatment and additional care from clinical study staff as well as to help others living with the same or similar disease. Healthy volunteers may participate to help others and to contribute to moving science forward.
To find the right clinical study we recommend you consult your doctors, other trusted medical professionals, and patient organizations. Additionally, you can use ClinicalTrials.gov to search for clinical studies by disease, terms, or location.
What if There Are No Available Clinical Studies?
ResearchMatch helps connect people interested in research studies with researchers from top medical centers across the United States. Anyone from the U.S. can register with this free program funded by NIH. Researchers from participating institutions use the database to search for and invite patients or healthy volunteers who meet their study criteria to participate.
Join the All of Us Research Program!
The All of Us Research Program is inviting 1 million people from all backgrounds across the U.S. to help build one of the most diverse health databases in history. Researchers will use the data to learn how our biology, lifestyle, and environment affect health. This may one day help them find ways to treat and prevent diseases.
What Are Clinical Studies?
Clinical studies are medical research involving people as participants. There are two main types of clinical studies:
Clinical trials determine if a new test or treatment for a disease is effective and safe by comparing groups receiving different tests/treatments.
Observational studies involve recording changes over time among a specific group of people in their natural settings.
People participate in clinical trials for many reasons. People with a disease may participate to receive the newest possible treatment and additional care from clinical study staff as well as to help others living with the same or similar disease. Healthy volunteers may participate to help others and to contribute to moving science forward.
To find the right clinical study we recommend you consult your doctors, other trusted medical professionals, and patient organizations. Additionally, you can use ClinicalTrials.gov to search for clinical studies by disease, terms, or location.People participate in clinical trials for many reasons. People with a disease may participate to receive the newest possible treatment and additional care from clinical study staff as well as to help others living with the same or similar disease. Healthy volunteers may participate to help others and to contribute to moving science forward.
To find the right clinical study we recommend you consult your doctors, other trusted medical professionals, and patient organizations. Additionally, you can use ClinicalTrials.gov to search for clinical studies by disease, terms, or location.
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What if There Are No Available Clinical Studies?
ResearchMatch helps connect people interested in research studies with researchers from top medical centers across the United States. Anyone from the U.S. can register with this free program funded by NIH. Researchers from participating institutions use the database to search for and invite patients or healthy volunteers who meet their study criteria to participate.
Join the All of Us Research Program!
The All of Us Research Program is inviting 1 million people from all backgrounds across the U.S. to help build one of the most diverse health databases in history. Researchers will use the data to learn how our biology, lifestyle, and environment affect health. This may one day help them find ways to treat and prevent diseases.
ClinicalTrials.gov, an affiliate of NIH, provides current information on clinical research studies in the United States and abroad. Talk to a trusted doctor before choosing to participate in any clinical study. We recommend checking this site often and searching for studies with related terms/synonyms to improve results.
Contact a GARD Information Specialist if you need help finding more information on this rare disease or available clinical studies. Please note that GARD cannot enroll individuals in clinical studies.
Use the contact form to send your questions to a GARD Information Specialist.
Please allow 2 to 10 business days for us to respond.
ClinicalTrials.gov, an affiliate of NIH, provides current information on clinical research studies in the United States and abroad. Talk to a trusted doctor before choosing to participate in any clinical study. We recommend checking this site often and searching for studies with related terms/synonyms to improve results.
Contact a GARD Information Specialist if you need help finding more information on this rare disease or available clinical studies. Please note that GARD cannot enroll individuals in clinical studies.
Use the contact form to send your questions to a GARD Information Specialist.
Please allow 2 to 10 business days for us to respond.
GARD collects data from a variety of sources to populate its website and provide accurate and reliable information on rare diseases.
GARD uses data collected from Orphanet and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) to interpret and provide information on rare diseases. This includes names, synonyms, genes, symptom frequency, population estimates and more.
Orphanet is an online database of rare diseases and orphan drugs that provides aggregated data coordinated by INSERM-US14 in Paris.