Incidence of congenital hypothyroidism among newborns in South Khorasan Province: A 2-year study (2023-25)

Taleb, Alireza; Hatamikia, Hossein; Namakin, Kokab; Miri-Moghaddam, Ebrahim

Volume 33, Issue 1 (Articles In Press 2026) J Transl Med Res. 2026, 33(1): 0-0 | Back to browse issues page

Research code: 457704

Ethics code: IR.BUMS.REC.1404.085

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Taleb A, Hatamikia H, Namakin K, Miri-Moghaddam E. Incidence of congenital hypothyroidism among newborns in South Khorasan Province: A 2-year study (2023-25). J Transl Med Res. 2026; 33 (1)
URL: http://journal.bums.ac.ir/article-1-3592-en.html

Incidence of congenital hypothyroidism among newborns in South Khorasan Province: A 2-year study (2023-25)

Alireza Taleb¹

, Hossein Hatamikia²

, Kokab Namakin³

, Ebrahim Miri-Moghaddam ^*⁴

1- Faculty of Medicine, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
2- Deputy Director of Health, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
3- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
4- Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Cardiovascular Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran , miri4@bums.ac.ir

Abstract: (140 Views)

Background and Aims: Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is one of the most common endocrine disorders and a major preventable cause of intellectual disability. Its complications can be effectively prevented through timely diagnosis and treatment. This study aimed to determine the incidence of congenital hypothyroidism among newborns in South Khorasan Province during 2023-25.
Materials and Methods: This retrospective descriptive study included all newborns born between March 2023 and March 2025. Infants with heel-prick thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels ≥10 mU/L in the first screening and ≥5 mU/L in the second screening were recalled for further evaluation. Serum levels of TSH, T4, and T3RU were then measured. Newborns with serum TSH ≥10 mU/L and T4 <6.5 µg/dL were diagnosed as having CH.
Results: Out of 30,021 screened newborns, 1,205 (4.01%) cases were recalled. Ultimately, 152 (5.06 per 1,000) infants had serum TSH ≥10 mU/L and were diagnosed with CH. The incidence rate was 78 (5.12 per 1.000 live births) cases in 2023 and 74 (5.0 per 1.000 live births) cases in 2025. In the initial screening of affected newborns, heel-prick TSH was <5 mU/L in 87.98%, between 5–9.9 mU/L in 11.15%, and ≥10 mU/L in 0.87%. The overall incidence of CH was 1 per 198 live births.
Conclusion: South Khorasan Province demonstrated a high incidence of CH. Given the important role of this disorder in intellectual disability, further studies are needed to identify the factors contributing to its high occurrence.

Keywords: Congenital hypothyroidism, Newborn, Screening, South Khorasan

Full-Text [PDF 507 kb] (47 Downloads)

Type of Study: Original Article | Subject: General Health
Received: 2026/02/3 | Accepted: 2026/06/1 | ePublished: 2026/06/5

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