Short communication Low dose oral iodized oil for control of iodine de®ciency in children

In areas where iodized salt is not available, oral iodized oil is often used to correct I de®ciency despite a lack of consensus on the optimal dose or duration of effect, particularly in children, a main target group. Annual doses ranging from 400 to 1000 mg have been advocated for schoolage children. Because lower doses of iodized oil have been shown to be effective in treating I de®ciency in adults, the aim of this study was to evaluate the ef®cacy and safety of a low dose of oral iodized oil in goitrous I-de®cient children. Goitrous children (n 104, mean age 8×4 years, range 6±12 years, 47 % female) received 0×4 ml oral iodized poppyseed-oil containing 200 mg I. Baseline measurements included I in spot urines (UI), serum thyroxine (T4), whole blood thyroidstimulating hormone (TSH), and thyroid-gland volume using ultrasound. At 1, 5, 10, 15, 30 and 50 weeks post-intervention, UI, TSH and T4 were measured. At 10, 15, 30 and 50 weeks, thyroidgland volume was remeasured. At 30 and 50 weeks the mean percentage change in thyroid volume from baseline was -35 % and -41 % respectively. The goitre rate fell to 38 % at 30 weeks and 17 % at 50 weeks. No child showed signs of I-induced hypoor hyperthyroidism. UI remained signi®cantly increased above baseline for the entire year (P , 0×001); the median UI at 50 weeks was 97 mg/l, at the World Health Organization cut-off value (100 mg/l) for I-de®ciency disorders risk. In this group of goitrous children, an oral dose of 200 mg I as Lipiodol (Guerbert, Roissy CdG Cedex, France) was safe and effective for treating goitre and maintaining normal I status for at least 1 year.