Congenital iodine deficiency syndrome

Congenital iodine deficiency syndrome (CIDS), also called cretinism, is a medical condition present at birth marked by impaired physical and mental development, due to insufficient thyroid hormone production (hypothyroidism) often caused by insufficient dietary iodine during pregnancy. It is one cause of underactive thyroid function at birth, called congenital hypothyroidism. If untreated, it results in impairment of both physical and mental development. Symptoms may include: goiter, poor length growth in infants, reduced adult stature, thickened skin, hair loss, enlarged tongue, a protruding abdomen, delayed bone maturation and puberty in children, mental deterioration, neurological impairment, impeded ovulation, and infertility in adults.

In developed countries, thyroid function testing of newborns has assured that in those affected, treatment with the synthetic thyroid hormone thyroxine is begun promptly. This screening and treatment successfully cures the disease.