Incidence of thyroid disorders in children in Hungary

Author gives information to the home tendencies of incidence of some important thyroid disorders in childhood mainly on the basis of his studies done with his coworkers. Results are compared with the standpoints raised since Chernobyl accident. It is verified on the basis of cca one million neonatal TSH screening that the frequency of congenital hypothyroidism in Hungary corresponds to those of European countries in the last 17 years. Changes connected with Chernobyl has not occurred. It deals with incidence of Graves' disease as the main form of hyperthyroidism relying upon TSH receptor antibody positivity. The yearly distribution of the 176 proved cases shows a slow increasing trend in the same period of time (17 yrs). In this radiation does not play a role. The paper treats of the topic of iodine deficiency with of high priority. Author draws the attention again to the fact that the iodine nutrition in significant part of the population is behind of optimum in harmony with the results of some other national studies also according to their own three thousand urinary iodine tests and more than four thousand thyroid sonographies. This iodine deficiency should be regarded as a potential risk from the viewpoint of radiation hazard! While enlargement of thyroid was often found by sonography, the formation of nodules only rarely in contrast to those of the Chernobyl area. The frequency of thyroiditis, especially in puberty increases too, but the degree of it falls far behind from those of published around of Chernobyl. The incidence of differentiated thyroid carcinoma--according to the available data--moderately increases as well, without any connection between the residence and the geographical distribution of radiation pollution. The epidemiological, clinical, and histological characteristics of the Hungarian children are similar to the so-called sporadic (non-radiation induced) form and different from the cases of the Chernobyl area.