Cretinism is a condition of severe physical and mental retardation due to iodine deficiency, and specifically due to deficiency of thyroid hormones during early pregnancy.

What is the most common cause of cretinism?

Congenital iodine deficiency syndrome (formerly known as cretinism) is a medical condition present at birth marked by impaired physical and mental development, due to insufficient thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism) often caused by insufficient dietary iodine during pregnancy.

What causes iodine deficiency disorder?

Iodine deficiency occurs when the soil is poor in iodine, causing a low concentration in food products and insufficient iodine intake in the population. When iodine requirements are not met, the thyroid may no longer be able to synthesize sufficient amounts of thyroid hormone.

What causes a baby to be born without a thyroid?

At birth, the baby may have no thyroid gland at all, or have a small, partially developed gland. Why this happens is often unknown, but in some cases it is genetic. Less commonly, a baby's thyroid did fully develop, but can't make normal amounts of thyroid hormone. This is usually due to a genetic problem.

What gland causes cretinism?

Congenital hypothyroidism, previously known as cretinism, is a severe deficiency of thyroid hormone in newborns. It causes impaired neurological function, stunted growth, and physical deformities.

What is cretinism ?

Is cretinism Hyposecretion or hypersecretion?

Anterior pituitary gland – 7 hormones

[Hyper secretion of it during childhood causes Gigantism, hypersecretion during adulthood causes Acromegaly, and hyposecretion causes Dwarfism]. hyposecretion causes cretinism in children and myxedema in adults].

What does cretinism mean?

All rights reserved. Acretin, from the French chrétien (Christian), is defined in Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary (1) as “one who is human despite deformities”. The medical definition of cretinism is untreated congenital hypothyroidism, with or without a goiter.

How rare is being born without a thyroid?

Congenital hypothyroidism occurs when a newborn infant is born without the ability to make normal amounts of thyroid hormone. The condition occurs in about 1 in 3,000-4,000 children, is most often permanent and treatment is lifelong.

Can you get pregnant without a thyroid?

Before pregnancy

If you have an untreated (or undertreated) underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) you are likely to find it more difficult to conceive. Women may have longer or heavier periods, which can cause anaemia, or your periods may stop completely.

Can you live without a thyroid and no medication?

Aside from having your thyroid levels tested regularly and taking medication daily to give your body the thyroid hormone it needs, people without a thyroid live an otherwise normal life.

Why does hypothyroidism occur?

Hypothyroidism happens when your thyroid doesn't create and release enough thyroid hormone into your body. This makes your metabolism slow down, affecting you entire body. Also known as underactive thyroid disease, hypothyroidism is fairly common. When your thyroid levels are extremely low, this is called myxedema.

What causes low selenium levels?

Causes. It can occur in patients with severely compromised intestinal function, those undergoing total parenteral nutrition, those who have had gastrointestinal bypass surgery, and also in persons of advanced age (i.e., over 90). People dependent on food grown from selenium-deficient soil may be at risk for deficiency.

What is the main function of iodine in the body?

Iodine is a mineral found in some foods. The body needs iodine to make thyroid hormones. These hormones control the body's metabolism and many other important functions. The body also needs thyroid hormones for proper bone and brain development during pregnancy and infancy.

How was cretinism discovered?

According to Cranefield [29], a Swiss physician Felix Platter (1536–1614) gave the first more detailed description of cretinism in 1602: “it is usual that many infants suffer from innate folly.

What are the characteristics of cretinism?

The three characteristic features of neurological endemic cretinism in its fully developed form are extremely severe mental deficiency together with squint, deaf mutism, and motor spasticity. They usually have a goiter.

Who is at risk of cretinism?

Common risk factors in the development of cretinism include post-date delivery, macrosomia, mothers with anemia or goiter, and smoking parents. Other risk factors include cesarian section delivery and jaundice at the birth.

Can we marry a girl with thyroid?

There are many myths, misconceptions and mysteries that surround this important gland. The truth is that thyroid problems are common, easy to diagnose and treat. A person with a thyroid problem can grow, marry, have children and lead a very normal productive, and long life.

How can one get pregnant fast?

Experts say the best way to get pregnant fast is to have sex once a day, every other day, during the fertile window right before and after ovulation. If you have sex too often, your partner's sperm count may be reduced, and if you don't have enough sex, the sperm may be old and unable to swim as fast.

Can thyroid affect periods?

Your thyroid helps control your menstrual cycle. Too much or too little thyroid hormone can make your periods very light, heavy, or irregular. Thyroid disease also can cause your periods to stop for several months or longer, a condition called amenorrhea.

Can a thyroid grow back?

Although having the capacity to grow in response to a stimulus that perturbs the pituitary-thyroid axis, the thyroid gland is considered not a regenerative organ.

Do you have hypothyroidism look at your hands?

Signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism can show up in the hands and nails. Hypothyroidism can cause dermatologic findings such as nail infection, vertical white ridges on the nails, nail splitting, brittle nails, slow nail growth, and nails lifting up.

What is the life expectancy of someone without a thyroid?

Overall, people living without a thyroid or an underactive thyroid do not have a reduced life expectancy or shortened life span if they get treatment. However, the reason you do not have a thyroid can affect how long you live.

What is cretinism in simple words?

Cretinism: Congenital hypothyroidism (underactivity of the thyroid gland at birth), which results in growth retardation, developmental delay, and other abnormal features. Cretinism can be due to deficiency of iodine in the mother's diet during pregnancy.

Does cretinism still exist?

Cretinism still exists in remote rural areas of many countries (8) with an estimated 2 mil- lion children affected globally every year (2).

What causes myxedema?

Myxedema is a result of undiagnosed or untreated severe hypothyroidism. It can also develop when someone stops taking their thyroid medication. It's more common in the elderly and women. Deposits of chains of sugar molecules in the skin cause the skin condition myxedema.