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The following is a summary of “Congenital Hypothyroidism and School Achievement in Adolescence: A Population-based Sibling Control Study,” published in the August 2024 issue of Pediatrics by Gunnerbeck et al.

This study investigates the academic performance of children with congenital hypothyroidism (CH) by examining their school achievements in grade 9 of compulsory education. The research focuses on both those identified through national screening programs and those diagnosed later due to normal initial screening results. Utilizing a comprehensive dataset from the Swedish Medical Birth Register (1982-1997), which includes 1,547,927 children, linked to both neonatal CH screening data and the National School Register, this study explores the impact of CH on academic outcomes. 

Neonatal screening involved collecting dried blood spot (DBS) samples, with thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels used to detect CH. CH was classified into two categories: those with abnormal screening results (DBS+), who received levothyroxine treatment (LT4+), and those with normal initial results (DBS-) later diagnosed with CH and subsequently treated with LT4 (ICD+/LT4+). The study employed regression models to analyze school performance metrics, including grade point averages and national test scores, while sibling analysis was used to control for familial factors. Results revealed that children with CH exhibited lower academic performance compared to their peers. 

Specifically, those with abnormal screening results (DBS+/LT4+) had a lower grade point sum, with an adjusted β of -6.34 (95% CI: -11.7, -1.01), while those diagnosed later with normal initial screening results (DBS-/ICD+/LT4+) showed even greater deficits, with an adjusted β of -10.3 (95% CI: -15.5, -5.20). Furthermore, CH was associated with poorer results on national tests, particularly in mathematics, and these trends persisted even after accounting for familial factors in sibling analyses. Overall, children with CH demonstrated somewhat lower academic achievements compared to their non-CH peers and siblings, with those diagnosed later exhibiting the most significant academic challenges.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022347624003433