Familial-Related Risks for Congenital Hypothyroidism in Iranian Newborns: A Population-Based Case-Control Study

Congenital hypothyroidism (CH), as one of the most common endocrine disorders, is a preventable cause of mental retardation.

This study aimed to identify familial-related risk factors for CH in Iranian newborns.

A population-based case-control study was performed on the National Registry System of patients with CH in Iran. In this study, 906 controls and 454 cases were studied for one year. Familial related factors were investigated using logistic regression models. Population attributable fraction (PAF) was also calculated for each significant risk factor.

Using multivariate analysis, an increased risk for CH was observed in patients with congenital anomalies (odds ratio (OR): 5.77, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.37 - 14.01), history of mental retardation in family (OR:2.10, 95% CI: 1.15-3.83), mother's hypothyroidism during pregnancy (OR: 2.01, 95% CI: 1.33 - 3.03), intra-family marriage (OR:1.49, 95% CI: 1.18 - 1.89), gestational diabetes (OR: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.09 - 2.63), having a hypothyroid child in the family (OR: 2.48, 95% CI: 1.39 - 4.42), and twins or more (OR: 2.61, 95% CI: 1.31 - 5.21). The highest PAF among familial-related risk factors for CH is related to the intra-family marriage (14.9%).

This study revealed that familial-related risk factors and consanguine marriages play an essential role in the high incidence of CH in Iran. About 15% of CH in Iran could be attributed to intra-family marriage alone.