Abstract

Introduction:

Congenital thyroid disorders are among the most common endocrine abnormalities and may be associated with various other congenital anomalies. Several studies have suggested a possible relationship between congenital thyroid diseases and congenital heart defects (CHDs). The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between structural and functional thyroid abnormalities and congenital cardiovascular defects diagnosed by cardiac computed tomography angiography (CTA).

Materials and Methods:

This cross‑sectional study was conducted over a two‑year period (2016–2017) at the Children’s Medical Center Hospital. The study included all 295 patients with congenital heart disease who underwent cardiac computed tomography angiography (CTA). To assess thyroid function, serum levels of thyroid‑stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroxine (T4) were measured. Data including CTA findings, laboratory results, age, sex, and type of cardiac anomaly were extracted from patients’ medical records. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software version 20, and a p‑value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results:

A total of 295 children with congenital heart anomalies were evaluated. The highest frequency of patients was observed in the age group of 1 month to 1 year, and most patients were male. Eight types of cardiac anomalies were identified on CTA, with ventricular septal defect (VSD) being the most common (31.2%). Structural thyroid abnormalities were detected in 9 patients (3%) based on CTA findings, while 5 patients (1.7%) had functional thyroid disorders. The only significant finding of this study was the association between the type of cardiac anomaly and the presence of thyroid anomalies (p = 0.02). However, the relationship between congenital heart defects and thyroid functional disorders, as well as the association between the type of congenital cardiac anomaly and the type of thyroid anomaly, was not statistically significant.

Conclusion:

The results of this study showed that a small proportion of children with congenital heart defects have structural or functional thyroid abnormalities. Although the prevalence is low, the coexistence of these two conditions may significantly affect patient outcomes; therefore, periodic diagnostic evaluations are recommended. However, due to the small number of patients with thyroid disorders in this study, larger multicenter studies are recommended to reach more definitive conclusions.