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In 1811, Courtois noted a violet vapor arising from burning seaweed ash and Gay-Lussac subsequently identified the vapor as iodine, a new element. The Swiss physician Coindet, in 1813, hypothesized the traditional treatment of goiter with seaweed was effective because of its iodine content and successfully treated goitrous patients with iodine. Two decades later, the French chemist Boussingault, working in the Andes Mountains, was the first to advocate prophylaxis with iodine-rich salt to prevent goiter. The French chemist Chatin was the first to publish, in 1851, the hypothesis that iodine deficiency was the cause of goiter. In 1883, Semon suggested myxedema was due to thyroid insufficiency and the link between goiter, myxedema, and iodine was established when, in 1896, Baumann and Roos discovered iodine in the thyroid. In the first 2 decades of the 20th century, pioneering studies by Swiss and American physicians demonstrated the efficacy of iodine prophylaxis in the prevention of goiter and cretinism. Switzerland's iodized salt program has been operating uninterrupted since 1922. Today, control of the iodine deficiency disorders is an integral part of most national nutrition strategies.

Objective: To determine the adequacy of iodine nutrition of Tasmanian primary school-aged children and to examine possible associations with socio-economic status (SES), location and dietary factors. Methods: Urinary iodine levels and measures of SES, geographical information and dietary habits were surveyed in a population-based sample of 170 children (4 to 12 years) at baseline (1998/99) and at follow-up (2000/01). Results: Median urinary iodine concentration in 1989-99 and 2000-01 were 75 [micro]g/L (range 15 [micro]g/L to 240 [micro]g/L) and 76 [micro]g/L (range 18 [micro]g/L to 480 [micro]g/L) respectively. No significant associations with SES or geographical location were found. More frequent or recent intake of foods that are likely to be dietary sources of iodine tended to be associated with greater prevalence of adequate urinary iodine, particularly consumption of yoghurt and 'fruche' (p=0.04). Conclusions: After several decades of iodine sufficiency, Tasmanian primary school-aged children are again mildly iodine-deficient by WHO criteria. Despite reduction in iodophor use by the dairy industry in the past decade, consumption of dairy products continues to be associated with higher levels of iodine nutrition. Implications: The lack of association of iodine levels with SES and geographical location within Tasmania found in our study, and the results of studies of iodine levels in Melbourne and Sydney, suggest that inadequate iodine nutrition is a widespread problem in south-eastern Australia. Our study suggests that milk-containing products continue to be an important source of iodine for children.

Void page 520 le resume en francais. En la pagina 520 figura un resumen en espanol. Introduction Salt iodization is considered the most effective long-term public health intervention for achieving [...], Objective To determine the iodine content of iodized salt at the production stage, to assess the perceptions and knowledge of salt producers about the prevention and control of iodine deficiency, and to examine the internal quality control procedures used during iodization in South Africa. Method Salt samples were collected for iodine analysis by titration from the 12 producers iodizing salt in South Africa. Information on the producers' knowledge of iodine deficiency disorders and on internal quality control was obtained by means of questionnaires. Findings The legal requirement of 40-60 ppm iodine was met in 30.9% of salt samples; 57.9% contained more than 30 ppm iodine; 34.8% contained under 20 ppm iodine. There were shortcomings in perceptions and knowledge about iodine deficiency disorders and in the internal quality control procedures of a substantial proportion of the producers. Conclusion In order to encourage and support salt producers to achieve optimal iodization there should be an information, education and communication strategy aimed at improving knowledge of iodine deficiency disorders and at raising the standard of internal quality control procedures. External monitoring should continue. Keywords Sodium chloride, Dietary/analysis/therapeutic use; Iodine/deficiency; Deficiency diseases/prevention and control; Chemical industry/standards; Knowledge, attitudes, practice; Quality control; South Africa (source: MeSH, NLM). Mots cles Chlorure sodium dietetique/analyse/usage therapeutique; lode/deficit; Carences nutritionnelles/prevention et controle; Industrie chimique/normes; Connaissance, attitude, pratique; Controle qualite; Afrique du Sud (source: MeSH, INSERM). Palabras clave Cloruro de sodio dietetico/analisis/uso terapeutico; Yodo/deficiencia; Enfermedades carenciales/prevencion y control; Industria quimica/normas; Conocimientos, actitudes y practica; Control de calidad; Sudafrica (fuente: DeCS, BIREME). Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2003;81:517-521.

Salt is widely used by the food industry, but information on the use of iodised salt as an ingredient in the manufacturing of processed foods in South Africa is not available. The iodine content of salt used in the manufacturing of bread, margarine and salty snack flavourants was investigated in a cross-sectional descriptive study. Questionnaire information and salt sampled on 1 day per week for 5 consecutive weeks were obtained from 12 food manufacturers (eight bread and bread premix manufacturers, two margarine manufacturers and two salty snack flavourant manufacturers). The iodine concentration of salt samples was analysed using the potentiometric titration method. Eleven of the 12 manufacturers surveyed reported that they used non-iodised salt. The reported reasons for using non-iodised salt included properties of the final product, health reasons, and financial considerations. However, substantial amounts of iodine were found in the salt of one-third of these manufacturers (n = 4), ranging from a mean content of 39-69 ppm. Three of these four particular manufacturers distributed their products countrywide. This information serves as a strong indication that iodised salt does not necessarily cause the adverse affects that food manufacturers fear may affect their products. Although the amounts of iodine in the salt were variable, our results showed that an appreciable percentage of the food companies used iodised salt unknowingly in the manufacturing of frequently consumed processed foods, and this may have a considerable impact on the daily iodine intake of consumers.

Resume Elimination des troubles dus a une carence en iode: role du Conseil international dans le partenariat mondial La carence en iode est la plus frequente des causes evitables de [...], Iodine deficiency is the most common preventable cause of brain damage. WHO estimates that some 2.2 billion people are at risk from iodine deficiency in 130 countries. A programme of universal salt iodization was established in 1994 with the aim of eliminating the problem by 2000. This paper reports progress in this field, with particular reference to the primarily scientific role of the International Council for Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders, a nongovernmental organization founded in 1986. It is now a multidisciplinary network of 600 professionals in 100 countries. Keywords Iodine/deficiency; Deficiency diseases/prevention and control; Nongovernmental organizations; International cooperation (source: MeSH, NLM). Mots cles Iode/deficit; Carences nutritionnelles/prevention et controle; Organisations non gouvernementales; Cooperation internationale (source: MeSH, INSERM). Palabras clave Yodo/deficiencia; Enfermedades carenciales/prevencion y control; Organizaciones no gubernamentales; Cooperacion internacional (fuente: DeC BIRME).

A study was conducted on the efficiency of using well-defined water sources containing iodine-saturated silicon matrices from controlling iodine deficiency. Goiter assessments were conducted on the subjects at the start of the study and two years later. The results indicate that the system is effective, inexpensive, safe and practically applicable in rural areas in developing countries with iodine deficient population.

Dietary survey and analysis of urinary iodine excretion reveals that level of dietary intake of iodine in Denmark is lower than the recommended levels, indicating the need for increasing iodine content in food. Non-toxic goitre is a frequent medical problem in the elderly women in Denmark, especially in the western part of the country. Iodine intake should be increased in small amounts to avoid the potential side effects.

People who are deficient in iodine, an essential nutrient, may score lower on a variety of motor ability and intelligence tests than those without iodine deficiency according to an analysis of several studies conducted in over ten countries. Skill tests included balancing, throwing balls, reaction time, manual dexterity, and handgrip. Cognitive testing focused on fluency, memory, and meaning. The skills of iodine-deficient Malawi children did not improve 10 months after iodine supplementation, except for muscle strength. It seems the majority of disabilities due to iodine deficiency apparently are not quickly reversible.

The administration of iodized oil to entire populations, and especially to women of childbearing age and during pregnancy, has been proposed as an emergency prophylactic and therapeutic approach in areas [...], This brief review of the available studies confirms that the administration of iodized oil before or during pregnancy prevents endemic cretinism and brain damage by correcting iodine deficiency and thyroid function in pregnant women, fetuses, neonates, infants and children. The potential benefits derived from using iodized oil immediately before or during pregnancy greatly outweigh the potential risks in areas of moderate and severe prevalence of iodine-deficiency disorders, where iodized salt is not yet available.

Iodine treatment administered before the end of the second trimester of pregnancy appears to provide effective protection from iodine deficiency in the fetal brain. Iodine deficiency causes endemic cretinism and is the most common preventable cause of mental retardation. Iodine treatment before conception is known to prevent cretinism, but the effects of treatment during pregnancy and after birth are less well known. Pregnant women and young children in an iodine-poor region were given iodine treatment. The children of women who received iodine treatment before the end of the second trimester of pregnancy showed a 2% rate of neurologic abnormalities, compared to 9% of the children who were treated during or after the third trimester. At about two years of age, the mean development score of the children whose mothers received iodine treatment before the end of the second trimester of pregnancy was 90, compared to a mean score of 75 in their untreated counterparts.

Objectives. Four hundred million people or more may be exposed to iodine deficiency worldwide, in developing countries in particular. Because of the practical problems with existing methods for the large-scale prevention of iodine deficiency, the authors developed a new approach to collective prophylaxis. Methods. This approach relies on the controlled diffusion of iodine into water from a silicone elastomer. Silicone matrices installed in a bore well released iodine at a rate sufficient to permit the daily per capita intake of at least 100 [Mu]g of iodine, the amount recommended by the World Health Organization. The matrices were tested over The year in a village in Mali, West Africa, an area in which goiter was highly endemic. The effects on the well water and population were compared with those of a placebo system in a control village. Result. An increase in urinary iodine levels was observed in the treated population, and after 12 months the incidence of goiter had fallen from 53.2% to 29.2%. ions. I new concept, adaptable to all sources of water supply, may contribute to the eradication of iodine deficiency. (Am J Public Health. 1993;83:540-545), Use of a silicon elastomer for the controlled release of iodine into drinking water may help prevent iodine deficiency diseases. Iodine deficiency disorders affect more than 400 million people and are especially devastating in developing countries. Existing methods for preventing iodine deficiency - iodization of salt, injections of iodinated oil and consumption of iodinated oil - are expensive and demanding. The device used for the controlled release is a silicon matrix containing the salt sodium iodide (NaI). Water penetrates the matrix, dissolving the salt and releasing it over a one-year period. In Mali, a device containing NaI was immersed in the well of a village of 107 people and a similar device without NaI was immersed in the well of a village of 94 people. After six months, the percent of the population in the village with the NaI device with severe iodine deficiency dropped from about 75% to zero. After 12 months, the incidence of goiter, an iodine deficiency disease, dropped from 53.2% to 29.2%. There were no changes in the village that did not receive the NaI device.

Endemic goitre is the enlargement of the thyroid gland which is commonly caused by environmental factors such as iodine deficiency and is prevalent in more than 10% of the population. The deficiency in dietary iodine may also cause hypotyroidism and cretinism, neurological dysfunction and mentalretardation. The condition is of global proportion and affects over 200 millionpeople. Iodine prophylaxis has been instituted in many countries as a means of prevention.

Iodine deficiency has major health consequences for the fetus and infant. Most individuals can tolerate fairly high intakes of iodine without problems. The Western Hemisphere has made great progress towards correcting its iodine deficiency, but pockets of deficiency remain and fragile monitoring systems endanger sustainability. Because the consequences of iodine deficiency are severe and the risks of excess treatment with modest supplements are minimal, we recommend the regular addition of 90 [micro]g of iodine daily to complementary foods for children and 150 [micro]g for pregnant or lactating women, accompanied by effective monitoring of urinary iodine concentration in the population. KEY WORDS: * iodine nutrition * complementary foods * iodine deficiency disorders

The history of the International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (ICCIDD) is a remarkable example of what a nongovernmental organization with relatively small financial resources can do. [...]

Basil Hetzel must take much of the credit for the worldwide recognition of the importance of iodine deficiency as a major public health problem. By coining the term 'iodine deficiency [...]

Basil Hetzel provides an adequate overview (pp. 410-413) of the International Council for Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (ICCIDD). The importance of his own role in the creation and life [...]

This report is an update of a study published in 1985. Recent studies have shown the continued presence of iodine deficiency among newborns, adolescents and adults, as shown by iodine excretion studies and by the iodine content of breast milk. These deficiencies can manifest themselves as goiter, mental deficiency (cretinism), hearing loss, and short stature in childhood. Although iodized salt is theoretically available in most European countries, the quality and acceptance by the community have been unsatisfactory. Recommendations include the suggestion that governments improve the quality of iodizing programs in those areas where deficiencies are prevalent. Iodized salt should be of constant quality and should not be more expensive than plain salt. Education and monitoring programs should be initiated. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

There are people at risk of iodine deficiency (ID) disease in Switzerland on both sides of the Alps and in both rural and urban areas, according to research investigating possible regional differences in iodine consumption among people living in rural and urban areas north and south of the Alps. Among those participating in this research, 35% were found to have a mild ID, with 12% having moderate ID. There were no differences between urinary iodine concentrations from urban or rural populations.

Iodine deficiency is the most common cause of preventable mental impairment in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that two billion people worldwide, including 285 million school-aged children, [...]