Endemic cretinism includes two syndromes: a more common neurological disorder with brain damage, deaf mutism, squint and spastic paresis of the legs and a less common syndrome of severe hypothyroidism, growth retardation and less severe mental defect. Both conditions are due to dietary iodine deficiency and can be prevented by correction of iodine deficiency before pregnancy. Endemic cretinism ...

Severe iodine deficiency causes hypothyroidism that results in impaired somatic growth and motor development in children. Mild and moderate iodine deficiencies cause multifocal autonomous growth of thyroid, which results in thyrotoxicosis. On the other hand, iodine excess is associated with the development of hypothyroidism and thyroid autoimmunity. In areas of iodine deficiency, a sudden incre...

Thyroid disorders are common worldwide.1 In Africa, dietary iodine deficiency is the major determinant of thyroid pathology, resulting in a spectrum of iodine deficiency disorders, including goitres, hypothyroidism and mental retardation.2 Of these, mental retardation poses the most severe threat to socioeconomic wellbeing; thus, its prevention has been the focus of current global efforts towar...

Iodine is an essential element to humans and animals. It is a constituent of the thyroid hormones and its deficiency causes goitre and may increase the risk for intellectual deficiency in affected populations. Iodine deficiency disorders represent a significant public health problem in 118 countries worldwide (Vitti et al., 2001). Among them, thirty-two European countries were still affected by...

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the iodine status of Nepalese school age children by measuring urinary iodine excretion (UIE). A population based cross-sectional study was conducted during November-December 2006 among 1,094 school age children. Spot urine samples were collected from all children and UIE was measured during February to March 2007 by an ammonium persulfate digestion ...

Iodine is an essential trace element whose only confirmed function concerns the formation of thyroid hormones. Our knowledge of the disorders caused by deficiencies in the dietary supply of many trace elements has markedly increased only during the last decade. Iodine is one exception to this rule. The role played by iodine deficiency in the etiology of disorders of the thyroid gland and in par...