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Worldwide iodine deficiency discussed at ATA 2007
Iodine deficiency affects more than 1 billion people.
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NEW YORK — Iodine deficiency, the single greatest cause of preventable mental retardation, is a worldwide problem. Some of the world’s leading experts exchanged views on this topic at the 78th Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association.
“More than 1 billion people in the world suffer from iodine deficiency ,and 38 million babies born every year are not protected from brain damage due to iodine deficiency disorder,” said Kul C. Gautam, assistant secretary-general of the United Nations and deputy executive director of UNICEF.
“These 38 million, nearly 30% of the world’s newborns, come from families that are the least educated, most isolated and economically disadvantaged,” he said during the presentation.
To provide education and encourage eradication, Gautam, Elizabeth N. Pearce, MD, and Michael Zimmermann, MD, discussed the problems and potential solutions to iodine deficiency disorder.
Iodine deficiency and pregnancy
Severe deficiency can cause cretinism, stillbirth, miscarriage, goiter, psychomotor defects, impaired growth and development of the fetus and more.
“Even a moderate deficiency lowers intelligence by 10 to 15 IQ points, with incalculable damage to social and economic development of nations and communities,” Gautam said. “If we fail to reach these newborns, we will be consigning them to an intergenerational cycle of poverty and injustice.”
Pregnant women need to increase their daily intake of iodine to prevent these complications in their offspring, according to Pearce, assistant professor of medicine, Boston University School of Medicine.
“Pregnant women and the fetus are particularly vulnerable to iodine deficiency disorders,” she said. “There are some concerns about mild iodine deficiency among women during pregnancy and lactation in the United States.”
Current standards by the World Health Organization, UNICEF and other organizations recommend that pregnant and lactating women consume >250 mcg iodine per day. However, daily intake should not exceed 500 mcg. She also suggested pregnant and lactating women take a daily prenatal multivitamin that contains iodine.
Remaining challenges
Tackling worldwide iodine deficiency disorder is affordable and feasible, according to the speakers. Global progress has been made; however, momentum appears to have stalled, according to Zimmermann, a board member on the International Council for Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders.
“There have been significant recent advances in assessing the severity of iodine deficiency disorder and monitoring progress of salt iodization programs,” he said in a press release. “Despite remarkable progress in the control of iodine deficiency disorders, they remain a major global health problem.”
“Today, the more severe manifestations of iodine deficiency disorder have disappeared from most parts of the world, and for most countries the clinical manifestations of iodine deficiency are becoming rare,” he said.
One way to do this is to ensure universal access and consumption of small quantities of iodized salt. Consuming iodized salt can help prevent complications associated with iodine deficiency for less than a dime per year per person, according to Gautam. Just 2 g of iodized salt contain the daily recommended amount of 150 mcg iodine; nearly 70% of all table salt is iodized.
Over 15 years, the percentage of households in the developing world that used iodized salt increased from <20% to about 70%, or from <1 billion people to nearly 4 billion people.
However, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Afghanistan and Sudan, among others.
There are several remaining challenges to secure elimination of iodine deficiency disorder, Gautam said. He recommended additional advocacy and political commitment, improved regulatory action, monitoring programs for iodine status and formation of a national oversight committee. – by Katie Kalvaitis
For more information:
- Gautam K, Pearce E, Zimmerman E. Iodine translational symposium. Presented at: the 78th Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association; Oct. 3-7, 2007; New York.