Background Congenital hypothyroidism, characterized by insufficient thyroid hormone production at birth, significantly impacts neonatal growth and development. This deficiency can impair neonatal growth and development. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of congenital hypothyroidism in Iranian neonates through a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Methods A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, SID, and Magiran up to January 2025 to identify relevant studies. Manual searches of key review articles and primary studies were also performed. Only studies published in Persian or English were included. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale checklist was used to assess the risk of bias in the selected studies. Data were analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software (version 3).
Results Thirty-nine studies, comprising 3,124,702 neonates, were included in the analysis. The meta-analysis showed a congenital hypothyroidism prevalence of 2 per 1000 live births (95% CI: 0.002–0.003; p < 0.05). The prevalence was 3 per 1000 live births in both males (95% CI: 0.002–0.004; p < 0.05) and females (95% CI: 0.002–0.004; p < 0.05). No significant publication bias was observed (p > 0.05).
Conclusion The elevated prevalence of congenital hypothyroidism in Iran highlights the necessity for enhanced screening programs, early diagnostic protocols, intervention, and allocation of necessary resources are essential for the effective management of congenital hypothyroidism prevalence.