Congenital hypothyroidism – what’s new?

Screening for congenital hypothyroidism has been available for more than 30 years. Recent developments have included improvements in lab TSH screening with lower cut-off points usually at 6 mU/litre, earlier commencement of levothyroxine therapy and high dose treatment regimens. Normalization of TSH levels during the first 2 years with frequent thyroid function testing is likely to be beneficial to outcome. Children with agenesis of the thyroid gland or low free T4 at diagnosis still show significantly reduced IQ results at assessment years later.