Abstract
Various reports indicate that the incidence of congenital hypothyroidism is increasing in developed nations, and that improved detection and more inclusive criteria for the disease do not explain this trend entirely. One risk factor documented in numerous studies is exposure to radioactive iodine found in nuclear weapons test fallout and nuclear reactor emissions. Large amounts of fallout disseminated worldwide from the meltdowns in four reactors at the Fukushima-Dai-ichi plant in Japan beginning March 11, 2011 included radioiodine isotopes. Just days after the meltdowns, I-131 concentrations in US precipitation was measured up to 211 times above normal. Highest levels of I-131 and airborne gross beta were documented in the five US States on the Pacific Ocean. The number of congenital hypothyroid cases in these five states from March 17-December 31, 2011 was 16% greater than for the same period in 2010, compared to a 3% decline in 36 other US States (p
Highlights
One risk factor documented in numerous studies is exposure to radioactive iodine found in nuclear weapons test fallout and nuclear reactor emissions
Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) incidence is rising in various nations
Recent studies have examined patterns of these increases; better detection and more liberal definitions of CH may explain some of this pattern, but there is a general consensus that other factors are appearing to affect temporal trends
Summary
Rise in Congenital Hypothyroidism Incidence Not Well Understood. Since the development of a simple blood spot test through a neonatal heel prick in the 1960s [1], newborns in developed nations have been routinely screened for congenital hypothyroidism. Increased incidence has been observed during the past two decades, including the United States, Australia, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Greece [3,4,5,6,7]. While changes in American laboratory practices and screening methods along with changes in proportions of multiple pregnancies, race, birth weight, and gender in the population may explain some of the increase, several reports conclude that there are other, unknown factors that account for this temporal trend [3,8,9,10,11]
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