地方性甲状腺肿与地方性克汀病均是由于缺碘所引起的,但是,严重的地方性甲状腺肿流行地区并非全有地方性克汀病存在。地方性克汀病常常是集中于地方性甲状腺肿流行地区的某些村庄,尤其在交通闭塞与外地通婚很少的地区。近年来发现散在性甲状腺肿性克汀病有着明显的家族多发性,并且认为是循孟德尔隐性规律来遗传的。若干与地方性克汀病有密切关系的疾病如先天性痴呆及先天性聋哑均与遗传有关。A.Costa 发现在曾经流行地方性克汀病的地区存在一种地方性家族性甲状腺肿性聋哑症, Endemic goiter and endemic cretinism are all caused by iodine deficiency, however, not all endemic cretinism exists in endemic goiter endemic areas. Local cretinism is often concentrated in some villages endemic for goitre endeavors, especially in areas with limited traffic and low levels of intermarriage in the field. In recent years, scattered goiter cretinism found significant familial multiple, and is considered to follow the Mendelian recessive law to genetic. Several diseases that are closely related to endemic cretinism, such as congenital dementia and congenital deafness, are genetically related. A. Costa found that there was a endemic goiter in the area where endemic cretinism had been endemic,