Frequency of Goiter and Urine Iodine Deficiency in 7-12 Years Old Students of Rafsanjan: 2018-2019: A Descriptive Study

According the importance of iodine monitoring in the prevention of iodine deficiency disorders, this study aimed to evaluate the clinical iodine and goiter deficiency in 7-12 year-old students in Rafsanjan in 2018-19.

The statistical population of this cross-sectional study included all students of 7-12 years old who were covered by Rafsanjan Education Management in 2018. From 21218 students aged 7 to 12 years living in the city, 1203 students (601 boys and 602 girls) based on inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. After obtaining informed consent from the parents, the students were examined clinically by an internal trained resident. In this study, the presence and severity of goiter were evaluated based on the World Health Organiaztion classification. Then, 10 ml of the morning urine sample of 10% of all samples was taken to measure iodine by acid digestion method.

The mean and standard deviation of age of participants was 9.48±1.71. In addition, mean and standard deviation of urinary iodine was 183.33±80.52 Ug / dl. In the study of the prevalence of goiter in the community, 87.1% (1047 samples) had no goiter, 9.7% (117 samples) had D1 grade and 3.2% (39 samples) had D2 grade. It was also found that the prevalence of goiter was not statistically significant in terms of age and sex.

The findings of this study indicate that the iodine deficiency control program and consumption of iodized salt has caused a significant decrease in the prevalence and severity of goiter, and also adequacy of the received iodine, given a marked increase in urinary iodine excretion in Rafsanjan city.