title: [Urinary iodine excretion in German adults in 2005 meets WHO target].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent regional and Germany-wide investigations have shown that the abolition of the requirement to declare iodine in foodstuffs and the greater emphasis on information about goitre prevention led to an increase in urinary iodine excretion in German schoolchildren. There was also a decrease in thyroid size and goitre prevalence in children. No up-to-date results in adults for the whole of Germany are available.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 2005, the authors examined the urinary iodine excretion in the spontaneous morning urine of 1,538 healthy adults in 357 places from all over Germany. The iodine was measured by the cer-arsenite method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median iodine excretion amounted to 132 microg/l. There were no significant differences between age groups, sexes or regions. 64% had no iodine deficiency (> or = 100 microg/l). In 23% the deficiency was slight (50-99 microg/l), in 10% moderate (20-49 microg/l), and in 3% there was severe iodine deficiency (< 20 microg/l). 29% excreted > 200 microg iodide/l urine.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to the WHO (World Health Organization) guidelines, there is no longer an iodine deficiency in German adults.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung für Endokrinologie und Stoffwechselkrankheiten, Klinik für Innere Medizin, Universität Rostock, Rostock, Germany. rainer.hampel@med.uni-rostock.de
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hampel
authors.forename: Gundolf
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bennöhr
authors.forename: Ansgar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gordalla
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Below
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006043:Goiter, Endemic / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000652:urine*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007455:Iodine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000652:urine*; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014944:World Health Organization
chemical_list: D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary; C034024:iodized salt; D007455:Iodine