|
|
|||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The most severe effect of iodine deficiency is endemic cretinism, which is characterized by the combination of mental deficiency, deaf-mutism, and motor rigidity or, less commonly, by severe hypothyroidism. The two forms are often referred to as neurologic cretinism and hypothyroid cretinism, respectively. They may occur separately or together.1 Both types of cretinism are associated with iodine deficiency that is sufficiently severe to cause goiter in 30
References
HOME | SUBSCRIBE | SEARCH | CURRENT ISSUE | PAST ISSUES | COLLECTIONS | PRIVACY | HELP | beta.nejm.org Comments and questions? Please contact us. The New England Journal of Medicine is owned, published, and copyrighted © 2008 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved. |