[Neuro-cognitive condition of 8 year old children with congenital hypothyroidism treated early].
BACKGROUND
Congenital hypothyroidism is the most important cause of preventable mental retardation. Since the use of programmes for early detection, mental retardation due to cretinism has been abolished and current investigations seek to detect subtle damage due to foetal hypothyroidism and strategies to minimize such deficits.


OBJECTIVE
This study presents the results of neurocognitive assessment of a group of 19 children aged 8 in the Cuban Programme for the early detection of Congenital Hypothyroidism.


METHODS
The programme is based on the use of umbilical cord serum levels of thyrotropin (TSH), using the Elisa ultramicro method (SUMA) and substitutive treatment with sodium levothyroxine and a programme of neuropsychiatric stimulation until 5 years old.


RESULTS
The results showed that the intelligence quotients of children with hypothyroidism were not statistically different from paired controls, and thus demonstrate the efficacy of the programme. On evaluation using computerized techniques for the detection of subtle disorders of the maintenance of attention, deficiencies were found. Analysis of the conventional EEG showed that in 13 cases recordings were normal, 4 had generalized cortical damage, 1 had cortico-subcortical damage and the remainder had signs of focal irritation. On the quantitative EEG, correlation between the attention variables and absolute values (MV2/Hz) were calculated for each derivation and associations found mainly in the right parietal and left frontal regions.


CONCLUSIONS
The effect of stimulating development in these patients is discussed.
Alvarez
M
M
Instituto de Neurología y Neurocirugía, La Habana, Cuba. alvarez@inne.sld.cu
Güell
R
R
Daniel
L
L
Berazaín
A R
AR
Machado
C
C
Pascual
A
A
D000367:Age Factors; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003409:Congenital Hypothyroidism; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007360:Intelligence / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000032:analysis; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D013972:Thyrotropin; D013974:Thyroxine
Estado neurocognitivo en niños de 8 años con hipotiroidismo congénito tratado precozmente.