Thyroid Disease in Childhood

ABSTRACT

Diseases of the thyroid gland are manifested by either increase in gland size, alterations in hormonal secretion, or both. Changes in gland size and weight are associated with toxic or nontoxic goiter, adenomas, thyroiditis, or malignancies. Many reports can be found to study thyroid disease, but there is no report of thyroid disease in childhood. So the present studies have surveyed the record of patient with thyroid disorders seen at Severance h spital from 1969 to 1979. The following results were obtained. 1. Among 76 cases, 56 cases were fmeale and theoratio of male and female thyroid disease was 13.5. 2. In classification of thyroid diseases according to function, hyperthyroidism was 20 cases(26.3%), euthyroidism 38 cases(50%), and hypothyroidism 18 cases(23.7%). 3. Disease distribution according to age, congenital hypothyroidim comprises about 75% of thyroid disease below 10 year old, and adenoma 42%, hyperthyoidism 27% of thyroid disease from 10 to 18 years old. 4. The most common sign and symptom was goiter(75%) in hyperthyroidim, palpable mass(100%) in euthyroidism, distended abdomen(83.3%) in hypothyroidism. 5. Treatment of thyoid disease was medical treatment(44 cases), surgical treatment(23 cases), and observation(9 cases).