Iodine Deficiency Disorders

This paper revives present knowledge on disorders induced by iodine deficiency. The Recommended Dietary Allowance of iodine is 50 /µg/day from 0 to 12 months, 90 /µg/day from 1 to 6 years, 120 /µg/day from 7 to 12 years, 150 /µg/day during adolescence and adulthood and 200 /µg/day during pregnancy and lactation. When the physiological requirements of iodine are not met in a given population, a series of functional and developmental abnormalities occur in ali ages, which are grouped under the general heading of iodine deficiency disorders among that goiter is only the visible “top of the iceberg”. Iodine deficiency is the leading cause of preventable mental retardation and neurointellectual deficits in schoolchildren. One of very important of health consequence of iodine deficiency is an elevated thyroid uptake of radioiodine that aggravates the risk of thyroid cancer in case of a nuclear accident. In addition to health problems, iodine deficiency has a negative impact on domestic animals, resulting in a reduction of productivity with negative economic consequences. As a solution for these disorders the most logical approach is the introduction of iodine prophylaxis that public health care aspects include the planning and monitoring of prophylactic campaigns, the technical aspects of production and distribution of iodised salt and the other methods of iodine prophylaxis. The last recommendation by WHO-UNICEF-ICCIDD is that, in order to provide 150 /zg/day of iodine via iodised salt and considering the average salt intake and the loss of iodine from production site to the household and cooking, the iodine concentration in salt at the site of production should range between 20 to 40 mg of iodine per kilogram of salt.