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Updated: Aug 7, 2026
An Ex vivo Culture System to Study Thyroid Development
Published on: June 6, 2014
Screening of congenital hypothyroidism in newborns in Bohemia and Moravia
O Hníková1, P Kracmar, Z Zelenka
1Department of Pediatrics, Faculty Hospital in Praha, Czechoslovakia.
Insights
Congenital hypothyroidism screening in Czechoslovakia, using total thyroxine (T4) tests on newborns, identified an incidence of 1:5700. Early detection and treatment ensured normal development for affected infants.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Neonatal Health
- Public Health Screening
Background:
- Newborn thyroid function screening programs are crucial for early detection of congenital hypothyroidism.
- Czechoslovakia initiated regional screening in 1975 and expanded to a national program in 1985.
- The pilot study in 1981 assessed the incidence of congenital hypothyroidism across multiple centers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the incidence of congenital hypothyroidism in Czechoslovakian newborns.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of total thyroxine (T4) screening methods.
- To establish early treatment protocols for affected infants.
Main Methods:
- Screening involved estimating total thyroxine (T4) from dried blood spots collected via heel prick on day five postpartum.
- Initial screening utilized T4 estimation; later phases continued this method.
- Data collected from 1985 to December 1987 included 313,618 newborn samples from Bohemia and Moravia.
Main Results:
- The incidence of congenital hypothyroidism was determined to be 1:5059 in the pilot study and 1:5700 in the expanded national screening.
- Early treatment, initiated before the first month of life, led to normal developmental outcomes.
- An elevated incidence of altered thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) production (1:6400) was observed, particularly in male infants.
Conclusions:
- Newborn screening for congenital hypothyroidism is effective in identifying affected infants for timely intervention.
- The implemented screening program successfully facilitated normal development in treated children.
- The study highlights the importance of considering TBG variations in neonatal screening protocols.
Abstract:
Regular examinations of thyroid function in newborn infants were started in the district of Praha 10 in 1975. Later the incidence of congenital hypothyroidism in Czechoslovakia was assessed in a pilot study including several centers in 1981. As a screening method we used the estimation of total thyroxine (T4) in a dried spot of blood obtained from a heel prick on the fifth day after birth. A total of 45,535 newborns was screened by such method and the incidence was 1:5059 of live born infants. Since 1985 the screening of congenital hypothyroidism has been extended to cover the whole territory of Czechoslovakia. Three screening centers (in Praha, Brno and Banská Bystrica) are responsible for carrying out this screening program. The first screening method employed was the determination of total thyroxine in a dried spot of blood on filter paper as mentioned above. By the end of December 1987, 313,618 samples from newborns have been assayed in Bohemia and Moravia. The incidence of congenital hypothyroidism was found to be 1:5700 of live newborn infants. The treatment of detected cases was started before the end of the first month after birth which ensured normal development of children thus afflicted. When T4 was the first method employed, a relatively high incidence of altered TBG (thyroxine binding globulin) production (1:6400) was encountered, especially in boys.
