Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is among the most common of endocrine disorders in childhood. Lacking one specific target organ, thyroid hormones play a role in the biologic processes of essentially every organ system. Few disorders have such devastating effects on growth and development as untreated congenital hypothyroidism. With the advent of radioimmunoassays to measure thyroid hormones, thus enabling precision in the diagnosis of hypothyroidism, and their application to screening tests for congenital hypothyroidism, recent interest has been sparked in a disorder that has been described for centuries.