ABSTRACT
Iodine in physiological dosage is necessary for thyroid hormone. But insufficient or excessive intake of iodine could affect on thyroid function. However, little study is available on the current iodine state in Korea. To evaluate the current state of iodine intake and its effects on thyroid function, we measured the iodine intake, urinary excretion and thyroid status in 67 normal controls and 110 patients with thyroid disease from June 1991 to August 1993.The result were as follows; 1) There were no differences in the physical and daily intake of calorie between controls and patients with thyroid disease. 2) The mean daily intake of iodine was 391.4 ug in normal controls, 695.0 ug in patients with simple goiter, 672.0 ug in hypothyroidism, 453.5 ug in hyperthyroidism, and 297.4 ug in thyroid nodule. 3) The mean urinary iodine excretion was 640 ug/L in normal controls, 875 ug/L in patients with hyperthyroidism, 612 ug/L in thyroid nodule, 563 ug/L in hypothyroidism, and 549 ug/L in simple goiter. 4) There was decreasing tendency of the serum T_3, t_4 and significant increase in TSH concentration in subjects who ingest the dietary iodine above 1000 ug/day compared with the subjects who ingest below 150 ug/day(p<0.05). 5) Subjects who live in coastal area had much intake of iodine(1.8-2.5 times)than those of subjects live in inland area.In conculsion, Korean ingested more iodine than Europian and American but fewer than Japanese. Some of the patients with simple goiter and hypothyroidism patients may associated with excessive ingestion of iodine, but further systemized study will be required.