Iodine deficiency early in life impairs cognition and growth, but iodine status is also a key determinant of thyroid disorders in adults. Severe iodine deficiency causes goitre and hypothyroidism because, despite an increase in thyroid activity to maximise iodine uptake and recycling in this setting, iodine concentrations are still too low to enable production of thyroid hormone. In mild-to-mod...

In response to a 1954 study revealing an iodine deficiency prevalence of 41.2% in India's Kangra District (Himachal Pradesh), a salt iodization program was launched in the district in 1963. To assess the long-term impact of this ongoing program, the prevalence of goiter was investigated in 1995 in 1358 children 8-10 years of age recruited from primary schools in 4 of the district's 13 administ...

Although the number of iodine-deficient countries has been reduced by almost 50 % over the last decade, it still remains a frequently misunderstood health problem. The most devastating effects of iodine deficiency occur during fetal development and childhood, periods in which sufficient iodine delivery remains critical. Besides the determination of thyroid size, the concentration of urinary iod...

The Philippines is one of the countries where adequate iodine status has been achieved. However, iodine deficiency still remains an important public health problem in this country. In this study, we evaluated iodine nutrition status and investigated an awareness status of iodine deficiency targeting high school students of Tuguegarao, Philippines. A total of 260 students provided samples for ur...

A survey was conducted to monitor the current status of iodine deficiency disorders in children aged 6-12 years and women aged 15-44 years in Bangladesh as measured by goitre prevalence and urinary iodine excretion. Conducted between September 2004 and March 2005, the survey followed a stratified multistage cluster sampling design to provide nationally representative data, with self-weighted ru...

Iodine deficiency is an important public health problem worldwide. Until the 1920s, endemic iodine deficiency disorders were prevalent in the Great Lakes, Appalachian, and Northwestern regions of the United States. Iodized salt was responsible for eliminating endemic goiter in the United States and remains the mainstay of iodine deficiency disorder eradication efforts worldwide. Although urinar...

OBJECTIVE A survey related to iodine deficiency in the Republic of Srpska was first conducted in 1999 and resulted in the adoption of regulations concerning the quality of salt for human consumption. In order to reassess iodine status, we conducted the Republic of Srpska Iodine Deficiency Survey in 2006. DESIGN The survey was conducted in a sample of 1,200 schoolchildren using parameters reco...

Iodine deficiency is not only a problem in developing regions; it also affects many industrialised countries. Globally, two billion individuals have an insufficient iodine intake, and approximately 50% of continental Europe remains mildly iodine deficient. Iodine intakes in other industrialised countries, including the USA and Australia, have fallen in recent years. Iodine deficiency has reappe...

This paper reviews evidence suggesting that iodine deficiency can have deleterious effects on the cardiovascular system, and correspondingly, that a higher iodine intake may benefit cardiovascular function. In recent years, public health bodies have aggressively promoted sodium restriction as a means of reducing hypertension and the risk of cardiovascular disease. These inducements have led to ...

Introduction In India, both Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) and fluorosis (due to consumption of excess fluoride), are the two most prevalent endemic diseases which coexist in certain regions in the country. Though goiter—an enlarged thyroid gland—is commonly recognized as a visible sign of iodine deficiency, the health effects of iodine deficiency reach far beyond those of goiter, and the si...