The prevalence of goiter and urinary iodine excretion in school-aged children of ChaharMahal & Bakhtyari

The province of Charmahal & Bakhtiari was one of the first regions with endemic goiter in Iran. Following initiation of the program of control of iodine deficiency in 1989, production, distribution and consumption of iodized salt were begun. Goal This survey was conducted within the framework of the 2001 national monitoring survey to find the prevalence of goiter and urinary iodine level in order and to evaluate the iodine status of school aged children in Charmahal & Bakhtiari. 1200 schoolchildren, aged 7-10 years, were selected randomly from all regions of Charmahal & Bakhtiari, and the grade of goiter, in 600 boys and 600 girls, was determined according to WHO classification. Urinary iodine content was estimated using the digestion method in one tenth of the schoolchildren. Total goiter rate was 18.4%, 15.4% in girls and 21.4% in boys. Median urinary iodine was 17 µg/dl. Urinary iodine was above 10 g/dl in 80.9% and less than 5 µg/dl in 2.5%, no one had urinary iodine below 2 µg/dl. It is concluded that the rate of goiter in Charmahal & Bakhtiari has decreased significantly since 1996 and urinary iodine levels in schoolchildren are indicative of adequate iodine intake. The charmahal & Bakhtiari province therefore can hence be considered a “iodine deficiency free” zone.