Iodine Deficiency in School Children in Aligarh District, India.

We carried out this study to assess iodine deficiency disorders among school children of 6-12 years age group in Aligarh district of India. The prevalence of goiter was 5.2%. Median Urinary Iodine Excretion level was 150 µg/L; 22.5% of students had biochemical iodine deficiency. 50.4% households were consuming adequately iodized salt.

Iodine Deficiency Disorder and Goitre among School Children in Sarawak -A Nationwide Study

Iodine deficiency disorders (IDD), is one of the most important micronutrient deficiencies which has multiple adverse effects on growth and development. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of IDD among school children and to elucidate the distribution of iodized salt at household level in Sarawak, East Malaysia. This cross-sectional study was conducted among school children aged 8 to 10 years in 2008. A multi-stage probability proportionate to population size (PPS) cluster sampling method was used to obtain a representative state sample of 1200 school children. Spot urine samples were collected for the determination of urinary iodine concentration while the iodine content in salt was determined using field rapid test kits. The thyroid status was determined by palpation. Response rate was 92.0% (n=1104/1200). The prevalence of goitre among school children in Sarawak was 2.9% (5.2% in urban, 0.7% in rural). The median urinary iodine concentration (UIC) among the school children was 102.1 µg/L (IQR, 62.3-146.5 µg/L). Urban children had significantly higher median UIC of 109.3 µg/L (IQR, 72.4-159.0 µg/L) than their rural counterparts [91.9 µg/L (IQR, 55.7-140.2 µg/L)]. The salt samples tested by rapid test kit (RTK) showed only 46.0% of household salt contained iodine. The present study revealed that the population in Sarawak were of borderline iodine sufficient with mild IDD seen in rural areas. Hence, the state IDD control programmes need to encourage and advocate the consumption of iodized salt in order to eliminate IDD-related health problems in Sarawak.

Inadequate Iodine Intake among School Children in Terengganu- Findings from the National Iodine Deficiency Disorder Survey 2008

Iodine deficiency is still prevalent worldwide and it is the main cause of goiter, thyroid dysfunction and mental retardation. The aim of the study was to determine the iodine status and goiter prevalence among the school children in Terengganu. The representative sample consists of 1163 primary school children aged 8-10 years old randomly selected from urban and rural schools in Terengganu using stratified systematic random sampling technique. Urinary iodine levels in spot urine were determined by in house modified micro-method while goiter assessment was carried out by palpation of thyroid gland. The status of iodine deficiency was determined by the median urinary iodine concentrations (UIC) and total goiter prevalence (TGP) in accordance with the WHO criteria. The result showed the median [inter-quartile range (IQR)] urinary iodine concentrations was 78.7µg/L (50.1µg/L -120.0µg/L) indicating the iodine intake was slightly lower than recommended range of 100 µg/L. The rural school children had a significantly lower Iodine levels (median UIC=72.4µg/L, IQR=46.7µg/L -113.0µg/L) than the urban school children (median UIC=87.7µg/L, IQR=54.5 µg/L - 127.5µg/L). The total goiter prevalence (TGP) was 5.7%. The prevalence of goiter was significantly higher in rural (TGP=6.9%) compared to urban areas (TGP=3.6%). The study revealed that school children in Terengganu showed mild iodine deficiency and the condition is more pronounced in children from rural areas. The findings emphasize the importance of intervention implementation, universal salt iodization to ensure sufficient intake of iodine among the Terengganu school children.

Analysis of urinary iodine levels in normal pregnant Chinese women in four districts / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

Objective To analyze the median urinary iodine(MUI)level in normal pregnant women based on World HeMth Organization(WHO) recommended criterion,and to provide the MUI reference values for monitoring and evaluating iodine nutrition during pregnancy and related studies.Methods Total 604 normal pregnant and 192 non-pregnant women(as a comparison)were selected from a cross-sectional survey.These women were all healthy,iodine sufficient,with normal thyroid function,and negative anti-thyroid antibodies.The iodine content in drinking water,edible salt,and urine was determined by standard methods,and serum TSH,FT4,FT3,thyroid peroxidaseantibody(TPOAb),and thyroglobulin antibody(TgAb)were measured using chemiluminescent immunoassay.Resuits (1)The iodine in drinking water was 3.0μg/L indicating such small amount of iodine could be neglected for daily iodine intake.(2)All women consumed iodized salt with the median iodine in salt of 31.7 mg/kg.The daily iodine intake of at least 240 μg could be roughly estimated if an average of 10 g salt was taken per person per day and further subtracted by 20%iodine lost during cooking,which could meet the iodine needs during pregnancy.(3)The MUI of 173.1μg/L was calculated from 604 pregnant women having 174.5,167.0,and 180.7 μg/L during the first,second,and third trimesters,respectively,reaching the optimal level of 150-249 μg/L recommended by WHO for pregnant women.However,our data showed relatively lower levels,not reaching 200μg/L.The MUI of 240.2μg/L was calculated from 192 non-pregnant women,reaching the level of"above requirement"(200-299μg/L) recommended by WHO for adults.(4)All women were euthyroid and antibody-negative,but the TSH level in pregnant women was lower than that in non-pregnant women,in particular during the first trimester,while FT4 and FT3 were considerably decreased compared with the non-pregnant(with an exception of FT4 in the first trimester),and both gradually declined with the gestational age.Conclusions The optimal MUI level of 150-249 μg/,L recommended by WHO can be applied to pregnant Chinese women,but our data provided a relatively low range of 150-200μ/L throughout pregnancy.The higher MUI of 240.2μg/L in non-pregnant women indicated that iodized salt with different contents should be supplied on market to meet the requirement of different groups of population.