What can cause hypothyriodism in a new born infant, and what are the effects?

Question

my grandson is 5 weeks old and we have been informed of this hypothyroid condition and instucted to start him on synthroid 25 mg pill, crushed and mixed with alittle liguid. We are concerned with what may have caused this. We have a medical background, and never heard of this in a new born infant. they just informed us they saw this at birth but thought they needed to wait until his first check up to repeat it. Can 5 weeks of waiting also cause serious brain damage? this baby looks like the picture perfect baby, normal in every way, including weight gain.

Answer 1

Hypothyroidism in an infant can be present at birth, due to abscence of the thyroid gland or deficient production of hormone, due to a defect in the synthetic pathway. This is isolated, not heriditary. Transient hypothyroidism can also occur if the mother is hyperthyroid, taking antithyroid drugs. When tested at birth, TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), which is estimated as a screening test may be falsely high due to the stress of birth. Therefore, it should be repeated later.
The baby may have coarse facies, wide open fontanelle (soft spot) at the back of the head, thick, dry skin, excessive sleep, feeding less and anemia.. There may be prolonged jaundice. If there is a defect, the baby may even be damaged before birth, depending on severity. The sooner treatment is started, the better.