Lack of correlation between thyroid size and body growth in an area of endemic goiter

There is conflicting information in the literature about the relationship between thyroid size and body growth in endemic goiter. This study reports data from highland Bolivia where 408 children were examined for thyroid size, height, weight, head circumference, and academic performance, the latter as measured by teacher evaluation. The presence or size of goiter showed no consistent correlation with height, weight, or head circumference. School performance was significantly correlated with all other variables in boys and not in girls, but there are severe limitations involved in the use of school grades alone for assessment of intelligence. Height and weight were less than for normals in the United States at each age level, but did not differ from those of other Quechuan children in neighboring Peru who were reportedly nongoitrous. Our data support the conclusion that there is no clear relationship between thyroid size and body growth in areas of endemic goiter.