What are the symptoms of hypothyroidism in children

Neonatal hypothyroidism mainly occurs before children mature, but the impact caused by the wrong timing is much higher than that of adult hypothyroidism, so neonatal hypothyroidism needs to be checked during pregnancy. So what are the symptoms of hypothyroidism in children?

Newborns with hypothyroidism are mostly post-term babies with birth weight higher than normal; physiological jaundice can last for more than two weeks; they have difficulty feeding after birth, refuse milk, have weak sucking, and often vomit; they usually have abdominal distension and constipation after birth, and are easily misdiagnosed as congenital megacolon; they are slow to react to the outside world, often in a sleeping state, with a low cry and a hoarse voice; they have low body temperature, poor peripheral circulation, and cold limbs.

Typical symptoms of hypothyroidism in newborns often appear after 6 months. As the child grows older, the symptoms become more and more obvious, and parents often notice the abnormality of their children at this time; they have special facial features: swollen face and eyelids, widened eyes, flat nose, large and thick tongue, and the tongue often sticks out of the mouth; they have special body shape, such as short stature, short limbs, long torso, big head and short neck; they have mental retardation, such as being quiet and crying less, having a dull expression and slow reaction; they have developmental delay, such as being inactive, slow in sitting, standing, walking and language, and delayed development of secondary sexual characteristics.

In 1979, a method of measuring thyroid hormone using dried blood filter paper was proposed abroad. Currently, many countries in Europe, the United States, Japan and other countries conduct regional universal screening for neonatal hypothyroidism. The method is constantly improving and the results are more accurate. There are three screening methods currently in use:

1. Simultaneous testing of thyroxine and thyroid-stimulating hormone;

2. Check thyroid stimulating hormone when thyroid hormone is low;

3. Just check the thyroid-stimulating hormone.