ACTA ENDOCRINOLOGICA (BUC)

Background. Prevalence of congenital hypothyroidism is about one per 414 live births in Kurdistan Province, a western province in Iran. Recently, a surveillance system (diagnosis, report and treatment) was developed to control the disease in Iran. Aim. This study aimed to compare the IQ of children with congenital hypothyroidism with normal children in this province, where the disease is highly prevalent. Subjects and Methods. This retrospective cohort study was conducted on 100 children with congenital hypothyroidism under continuous treatment with thyroxine and a group of 100 healthy infants. Two tests of Goodenough draw-a-man test and Proteus Mazes were used to measure IQ. Statistical analysis was done by SPSS 16 and multiple regression. Results. The average IQ of the patient group treated for 42 months with thyroxine and healthy group were 103.4 (±16.9) and 103.4 (±15.4), respectively (p=0.989). There was no statistically significant difference between the IQ of children with transient and permanent hypothyroidism. In multivariate analysis, the only effective factor on IQ was mothers’ education. Conclusion. There was no statistically significant difference between the IQ of children with congenital hypothyroidism who have been treated with thyroxine and the IQ of healthy children. So, there is appropriate quality of care for patients who are living in this province where the disease is highly prevalent.