AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY TO ESTIMATE THE PREVALENCE OF CONGENITAL HYPOTHYROIDISM IN NEWBORNS AT A RURAL TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Background: Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is one of the most common preventable causes of intellectual disability and growth failure in children. Most affected newborns are asymptomatic at birth owing to transplacental transfer of maternal thyroxine, leading to delayed diagnosis in the absence of screening. Early detection through newborn thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) screening and prompt initiation of levothyroxine therapy can prevent irreversible neurodevelopmental impairment. Data from rural tertiary care settings in India remain limited. Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of CH among newborns and to analyse the distribution of TSH levels in relation to selected demographic and perinatal factors. Methods: This prospective observational cross-sectional study was conducted at a rural tertiary care hospital over 24 months. A total of 919 healthy newborns aged 72 hours to 7 days were enrolled after obtaining informed consent. Newborns with major congenital anomalies or born to mothers with overt hypothyroidism were excluded. Venous blood samples were collected, and serum TSH was estimated using a standardized immunoenzymometric assay. Newborns with elevated TSH underwent repeat testing and confirmatory evaluation. Data were analysed using SPSS version 26.0, and statistical significance was set at p< 0.05.