title: Iodine nutritional status in pregnant women of two historically different iodine-deficient areas of Catalonia, Spain.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Catalonia (Spain) has a historically worse situation of mild iodine deficiency in the Pyrenees Mountains compared with the coastal region. The aim of this study was to evaluate the current iodine status in pregnant women living in these two areas.
  
  
  METHODS
  An epidemiologic prospective survey included 267 consecutive pregnancies in the Catalan mountains (n = 139) and coast (n = 128) studied during the first trimester; an additional subset of 135 women from the initial cohort was available for evaluation in the third trimester. Urinary iodine (UI) was measured, and questionnaires to determine iodized salt and sea fish consumption and potassium iodide supplementation were administered.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median UI in the first trimester was 163 μg/L for the entire cohort, with differences between mountain and coastal regions (209 versus 142 μg/L, P = 0.007). The highest prevalence of iodized salt consumption was in the mountain area (58% versus 36.4%, P < 0.001). For the entire group, a higher median UI was found in iodized salt consumers compared with non-consumers (193 versus 134 μg/L, P < 0.001). In the third trimester, an increase of median UI was seen in those to whom iodine supplements were given during pregnancy (190 versus 154 μg/L, P = 0.015).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A reversal in the historically iodine-deficient situation was observed in the Catalan Pyrenees compared with the coastal area, with a globally acceptable iodine status in pregnant women of the two geographic locations. Iodized salt consumption seems to have contributed to maintaining an acceptable iodine status in this population.
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology and Nutrition Department, Hospital Sant Joan Despí, Moisès Broggi, Barcelona, Spain. lluis.vila@sanitatintegral.org
authors.forename: Lluis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vila
authors.forename: Mateu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Serra-Prat
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: de Castro
authors.forename: Elisabet
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Palomera
authors.forename: Roser
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Casamitjana
authors.forename: Gustavo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Legaz
authors.forename: Celia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barrionuevo
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Muñoz
authors.forename: Ana J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: García
authors.forename: Sanjay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lal-Trehan
authors.forename: Amparo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: García
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Durán
authors.forename: Manel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Puig-Domingo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004032:Diet; D004034:Diet Surveys; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007455:Iodine / Q000172:deficiency / Q000627:therapeutic use / Q000652:urine*; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000652:urine*; D011264:Pregnancy Trimesters; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017747:Seafood; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary; D007455:Iodine