title: Iodine nutritional status of school children in a rural area of Howrah district in the Gangetic West Bengal.
abstract: The objective of the study was to assess the status of iodine nutrition in an area of Howrah district where iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) were reported despite the introduction of iodised salt for general use. A total of 969 school children in the age group 6-12 years of both sexes were clinically examined for goitre. On the spot 242 urine samples were collected from the children to study the iodine and thiocyanate excretion pattern and 108 edible salt samples were collected from the homes of the children to measure iodine level. Drinking water samples were collected to evaluate the bioavailability of iodine in the region. The total goitre prevalence was 37.6% (Grade 1: 32.6%; Grade 2: 4.9%). The median urinary iodine level was 35 microg/dL, 12.5% urine samples had iodine level below 10 microg/dL and no sample was found to contain iodine below 5 microg/dL. In 51.9% salt samples iodine level was below 15 ppm and the iodine level in the drinking water was about 82 microg/L. The people of the area consume foods from the vegetables of the Brassica family and mean thiocyanate level was 0.747+/-0.21 mg/dL. The-findings of the present study indicated that as per clinical criteria of WHO/UNICEF/ICCIDD, IDD is a severe public health problem though apparently there is no biochemical iodine deficiency. Overall results indicate that factors other than iodine deficiency may have a role in the persistence of endemic goitre in the post salt-iodisation in this region.
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology and Reproductive Physiology Laboratory, Department of Physiology, University College of Science and Technology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata-700 009. amark_chandra@yahoo.co.in
authors.forename: Amar K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Chandra
authors.forename: Smritiratan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tripathy
authors.forename: Dishari
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lahari
authors.forename: Sanjukta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mukhopadhyay
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006043:Goiter, Endemic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000652:urine*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007455:Iodine / Q000172:deficiency / Q000652:urine*; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status / Q000502:physiology*; D012424:Rural Population; D013334:Students
chemical_list: D007455:Iodine