What are the early symptoms of hypothyroidism in infants?

Babies' physical fitness is not like that of adults. They are very susceptible to diseases, and they cannot describe in ongoing language whether they are feeling unwell. Therefore, many diseases require careful observation by parents. Infant hypothyroidism is a disease that often occurs in infants. Therefore, parents need to judge whether their children have this disease based on the symptoms of infant hypothyroidism. So, what are the early symptoms of hypothyroidism in infants?

First, what are the early symptoms of hypothyroidism in infants? Congenital hypothyroidism is a common endocrine disease in children, mainly due to congenital thyroid defects in the child or iodine deficiency in the mother's diet during pregnancy, leading to physical and intellectual development disorders in the child. Since 1995, my country has included congenital hypothyroidism in newborn disease screening. Recognize the symptoms of hypothyroidism in babies early: eating less milk, difficulty feeding, inactivity, unwillingness to move, easy to sleep, early onset of jaundice on the child's skin, dark color, and does not subside for a long time (normal physiological jaundice subsides in about 2 weeks). The baby's bloating is also a very important manifestation. The baby's abdomen is enlarged and bulges like a small ball. At the same time, the baby is constipated and does not defecate for several days. Sometimes the baby's meconium excretion is also delayed. Babies with severe hypothyroidism will appear swollen and fat all over, have slow reactions, and have a large tongue that often sticks out of the mouth.

Second, congenital hypothyroidism can cause serious damage to the nervous system in the early stages of life . Once a baby is diagnosed with hypothyroidism, he or she must go to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible. Early treatment can make the baby's physical and intellectual development close to that of a normal baby. If treatment is started within 1-3 months after birth, the prognosis is better and intelligence can mostly return to normal; if the diagnosis is not made early and treatment is started after 6 months, although thyroid hormone treatment can improve growth, intelligence will still be severely impaired. Therefore, early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment are crucial for children with congenital hypothyroidism.

What are the early symptoms of hypothyroidism in infants? A normal baby's body will secrete thyroid hormones to ensure the baby's normal development. However, babies with hypothyroidism cannot secrete or secrete insufficient thyroid hormones and need external thyroid hormone supplementation. External thyroid hormones are also called Euthyrox, which is the same as the thyroid hormones secreted in our body. As long as the dosage is appropriate and the thyroid function is normal, it will not cause adverse reactions. Because the clinical manifestations of congenital hypothyroidism are atypical or even asymptomatic, the disease is often not suspected or diagnosed until the child is less than one month old. Therefore, it is very important to screen the thyroid function of newborns. Currently, the main screening method is heel blood test for TSH, and further testing for T4 and TSH can be performed. Of course, it would be better if a full set of thyroid function tests could be performed.