Attitudes Towards the Management of Congenital Hypothyroidism in Türkiye: National Survey Study

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to assess the perspectives of pediatric endocrinologists in Türkiye on the management of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) and to analyze the potential impact of work environment and professional experience on different attitudes.

Methods: The members of the Turkish Society for Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes were invited to participate in an online survey. An evaluation was made by obtaining survey responses from 95 (19%) of 502 members.

Results: Participants' mean age was 42.0±9.6 years, 46.3% of them were working in a university hospital, and 48.6% had >7 years of work experience. When the participants were asked about their approach to a 1-3-week-old neonate whose serum TSH concentration was 6-20 mU/L with a serum-free T4 (FT4) concentration within the age-specific reference interval, 97.7% of the participants preferred to monitor without medication. Only 24% of physicians consider starting treatment immediately if the serum TSH concentration is 20-40 mU/l with a normal FT4 level. While 5.3% of participants preferred dual imaging (ultrasound and scintigraphy), 90.5% requested only thyroid ultrasound for etiological investigation. When considering the discontinuation of levothyroxine in patients with a normal thyroid gland and a low LT4 dose, 28.4% of the participants stated that treatment should be stopped at the earliest at the age of 3 years, 16.8% at 2 years, 5.3% at 1 year, 16.8% at 6 months, and 32.6% at any time if the TSH levels remain low despite the low dosage. Physicians with over 7 years of experience can discontinue medication if TSH is low, even with a lower dose, more frequently than those with less experience (p=0.011). There were no significant differences in the approach of the physicians between employees at university hospitals and other health institutions.

Conclusion: Although the attitudes of pediatric endocrinologists working in Türkiye towards the management of CH are generally consistent with the recommendations of international guidelines, their approaches to the treatment for isolated neonatal TSH elevation, thyroid imaging preferences and time to discontinue treatment differ significantly. These different attitudes, which are almost similar among all subgroups by experience and work setting, reflect the differences in local conditions in Türkiye and underline the need for a national consensus on the management of CH.

Keywords: Congenital hypothyroidism; Turkish Society for Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes; attitude in management; questionnaire.