Neonatal iodine status survey by thyroid-stimulating hormone screening in Surabaya

• Main Authors: Connie Untario, I Wayan Bikin Suryawan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Indonesian Pediatric Society Publishing House 2012-10-01
• Series: Paediatrica Indonesiana
• Subjects: neonatal; TSH screening; iodine deficiency disorders; IDD
• Online Access: https://paediatricaindonesiana.org/index.php/paediatrica-indonesiana/article/view/476
• ISSN: 0030-9311; 2338-476X

Background Iodine deficiency disorders (lDD) are a significant public health problem globally. Iodine deficiency may cause subclinical hypothyroidism during pregnancy and early infancy. Neonatal thyroid screening of serum thyroid􀁊stimulating hormone (TSH) to detect hypothyroidism may also be used to determine the prevalence of IDD in a population. Previous studies reported mild ID D status in different parts of Indonesia. Objective To evaluate the iodine status of neonates born in Mitra K eluarga Surabaya Hospital (MKSH) by TSH screening over a 6􀁊year period. Methods T his is a cross􀁊sectional and hospital􀁊based study conducted in MKSH from January 2005 to December 2010. Of the 5,619 infants born in MKSH during the study period, 3,349 (59.6%) healthy infants took part in this study. Blood specimens for TSH measurement were collected from subjects 2 to 6 days after birth, and sent to a reference laboraratory for evaluation. Using the neonatal TSH values, the iodine deficiency level of the group was determined according to the WHO/UNICEF/ International Council for the Control of IDD criteria. Results A total of 3,349 newborn babies underwent neonatal TSH screening in MKSH. Subjects' mean TSH concentration was 5.14 mIU!L. A TSH concentration> SmIU!L was found in 1270 (37.9%) subjects, 166 (27.6%) in 2005, 252 (44.0%) in 2006, 331 (47.1 %) in 2007, 356 (57.7%) in 2008, 114 (20.7%) in 2009 and 51 (16.8%) in 2010. On the basis of the WHO/UNICEF/ International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorder criteria, this frequency corresponded to a moderate level of IDD. Twenty􀁊two neonates had TSH > 20 mIU!L from which 2 infants were confirmed positive for hypothyroidism. Conclusion A 6􀁊year study of 3,349 newborns screened for TSH revealed that 37.9% of subjects had TSH concentration of more than SmIU!L. This frequency indicates a moderate level of IDD in the study population. [Paediatr Indones. 2012;52:289,93].