Similar to adults, children can also experience issues with low or high secretion of hormones from the thyroid gland. Any child, from newborns to teenagers, can be affected by this condition, and delayed treatment can severely impede their physical and mental development.
Hypothyroidism, where the thyroid gland does not form properly at birth, or autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis are the primary causes of thyroid problems in children.
To detect thyroid issues in their children, parents must pay attention to some common symptoms. These include sleeping most of the day, the tongue appearing dry and enlarged, frequent jaundice, constipation, weight loss despite adequate eating, stunted physical growth, or swelling of the thyroid gland in the neck. If these types of symptoms persist in your child, consultation with a pediatrician or endocrinologist and necessary blood tests (such as TSH, T3, T4) should be done immediately.