Introduction
Congenital hypothyroidism is one of the preventable causes of neurocognitive impairment because early treatment is possible in neonates. This study was done to assess the prevalence of thyroid function in children with congenital heart diseases (CHD), as many studies have revealed a correlation between CHD and hypothyroidism in children.
Objectives
To assess the prevalence of primary congenital hypothyroidism in patients with CHD.
Patients and methods
The study was conducted on 50 patients with CHD who were systematically examined and screened for thyroid function tests.
Results
The vital signs of cases were within normal range. Pallor was present in 50% of cases with CHD, but no case had jaundice, and 21% of cases had lower limb edema. Approximately 8 and 12% of cases with hypothyroidism showed coarse features and small square hands, respectively, and no cases had mental retardation or hoarseness of voice. Approximately 49.9% of cases of acyanotic group of CHD has cardiomyopathy, 31.5% of cases had heart failure, and 94.6% of cases had a murmur. There were six types of CHD: ventricular septal defect in 37.5% of cases, patent ductus arteriosus in 28.6%, coarctation of aorta in 9.6%, tetralogy of Fallot in 9.6%, and transposition of great arteries in 35%. Seven (14%) cases in our study were diagnosed with congenital hypothyroidism with CHD, and 43 (86%) cases had normal thyroid function. There was no significant difference in anthropometric measures between patients with CHD with hypothyroidism and those with normal thyroid functions. There was no significant difference regarding CHD type, except tetralogy of Fallot, which was presented in 42.8% of patients with hypothyroidism.
Conclusion
Our study assessed the prevalence of congenital hypothyroidism in patients with CHD, as early detection of hypothyroidism helps in early treatment and prevention of neurocognitive impairment.