Hi, this is Tom, and in this episode I'm going to be going through hypothyroidism in children.

And you can find notes at zero to finals.com and in the zero to finals pediatrics book.

And you can find flashcards and questions at members.0.0 tofinals.com. And at the end of the episode, we'll go through

some questions to test you on what you just heard. So let's jump straight in. Hyopthyroidism

refers to insufficient thyroid hormones, specifically tri-iodothyronine, or T3, and thyroxine, or T4.

Thyroid hormone is essential for the development and functioning of the brain and the body.

Undiagnosed hypothyroidism can lead to significant problems with neurodevelopment and intellectual disability.

In children, hypothyroidism can be congenital or acquired.

Let's start by talking about congenital hypothyroidism.

Congenital hypothyroidism refers to when hypothyroidism develops before birth.

This occurs in around 1 in 3,000 newborns.

It can be the result of thyroid dysgenesis, which is an underdeveloped thyroid gland,

dyshormonogenesis, which refers to inadequate thyroid hormone production caused by a genetic mutation, and pituitary or hypothalamus pathology,

although this is very rare.

Congenital hypothyroidism is screened for on the newborn bloodspot screening test.

Where it's not picked up shortly after birth, patients may present with prolonged neonatal jaundice,

poor feeding, constipation, reduced activity, slow growth and delayed development.

Next let's talk about acquired hypothyroidism. Acquired hypothyroidism refers to when the

hypothyroidism develops after previously normal thyroid function.

Hashimoto's thyroiditis, which is an autoimmune condition causing inflammation and damage to the thyroid gland,

is the most common cause.

Hashimoto's thyroiditis is associated with antithyroid pero antibiotics, or

...