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Hypothyroidism

According to Dr James Norman, MD, FACS, FACE, the clinical picture produced by insufficient secretion of thyroid hormones depends upon the age of the patient at which the deficiency occurs, upon the duration of the deficiency and upon its degree.

In Infants: Congenital deficiency of the thyroid hormones causes cretinism, which is also known as infantile hypothyroidism and is a condition arising from varying degrees of thyroid deficiency in fetal or neonatal stage. It is characterized by retarded development that is particularly marked in the skeletal and central nervous systems.

Hypothyroidism

According to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology, Infantile hypothyroidism may occur in the endemic or sporadic forms.

The endemic form is found in areas of severe iodine deficiency and, in most cases, the mother of the infant suffers from a goiter.

Sporadic infantile hypothyroidism is rare and is  usually due to a congenital absence of thyroid tissue (a condition called athyreosis) or failure of the embryonic gland to descend in to the neck. The Mayo Clinic, a premier center of thyroid research, says that thyroid deficiency may also arise from a partial or complete absence of one of the several enzymes required for the bio-synthesis of the thyroid hormones. Sporadic infantile hypothyroidism may also occur in an infant born of a hyperthyroid mother who has been treated during pregnancy with too large doses of an antithyroid drug which crosses the placenta and depresses the thyroid activity in the fetus.

The infant suffering from hypothyroidism exhibits the following signs and symptoms:

• Lethargy
• Falling asleep during feeding
• Fails to thrive and is constipated
• prominent abdomen
• umblical hernia is often present
• a broad, puffy face
• flat nose and thickened lips and nostrils
• tongue is large and protrudes
• skin is dry, thick and sallow
• dark hair
• wide-set eyes
• hoarseness while crying
• delayed dentition
• mental retardation is often observed

In children: In older children, the lack is manifested as juvenile hypothyroidism, also known as  juvenile myxodema, in which dwarfism is a prominent feature. According to the American Thyroid Association, the cause of the hypothyroidism  is not always clear but in some cases, the thyroid gland has not developed properly and ectopic thyroid tissue, which produces