Why Does Congenital Hypothyroidism Occur?
276 Words2 Pages
Why Does Congenital Hypothyroidism Occur? Congenital hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland fails to mature or function properly during fetal development. In a majority of cases known as thyroid dysgenesis, the thyroid gland is nonexistent all together, reduced in size, or abnormally located. In the remainder of cases known as thyroid dyshormogenesis, the gland is normal or a larger size and present, but has a deficiency in hormone production. The most typical cause for this disease worldwide is shortage of iodine in a pregnant mother’s diet, which is essential for the proper functioning and production of thyroid hormones. In about 20-25% of cases, the cause of the disease is genetic, usually a mutation in the genes during fetal development.