Resumo

VELA-AMIEVA, Marcela et al. Hyperthyrotropinemia in Mexican newborns. Salud pública Méx [online]. 2003, vol.45, n.4, pp.269-275. ISSN 0036-3634.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the differences in the blood concentration levels of the thyroid stimulating hormone and their possible use as an indicator of iodine sufficiency, in a sample of Mexican newborns. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from September 1999 to August 2000, among 25,427 Mexican newborns in the Ministry of Health clinics from 5 states. A total of 8 095 heel-prick and 17 332 umbilical cord blood samples were analyzed. Blood samples were collected in filter paper and processed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis test were used for statistical analyses. RESULTS: Hyperthyrotropinemia was found in 9.95% of heel samples and in 24.27% of umbilical cord samples (TSH>5 µUI/ml). CONCLUSIONS: The percentage of hyperthyrotropinemia observed in this study was higher than that expected in a population with sufficient iodine intake; these findings could be due to poor maternal iodine intake.

Palavras-chave : neonatal screening; thyrotropin; iodine deficiency; congenital hypothyroidism; mental retardation; Mexico.