title: A community-based case-control study to investigate the role of iron deficiency in the persistence of goiter.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To find out the magnitude of iron deficiency anemia in the age group of 6-12 years and investigate the role of iron deficiency as a possible contributor to endemic goiter in school children in Ambala.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present study was conducted as a subset of a cross-sectional study among 2700 children from 6 to 12 years of age to find out the prevalence of goiter. All the subjects who were found to be suffering from goiter in the cross-sectional study were enrolled in the case-control study as cases and were compared with age- and sex-matched controls (children without goiter) from the same cohort. The study was conducted from February 2011 to January 2012.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of total, goiter was observed in 12.6% of the subjects. Urinary iodine excretion was found to be <100 μg/L in 57 (10.5%) children. Mean hemoglobin (Hb) level of the study population was 11.9 g/dL. It was noted that 71% of the goitrous children had anemia (Hb <12 g/dL) as compared to 63.7% of the control group. Serum ferritin (SF) was <15 ng/mL in 70% of the children. The mean ± standard deviation of SF in the goitrous and nongoitrous children was 19.65 ± 32.51 μg/L and 27.55 ± 21.07 μg/L, respectively (P = 0.012).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings in the study suggest that iron deficiency anemia in children is contributing toward the persistence of goiter in the postiodization phase.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Rambha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pathak
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Adesh Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Bhatinda, India.
authors.forename: Chintu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chaudhary
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Rashmi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Agarwalla
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Zakirhusain
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shaikh
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, MM Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Mullana, Ambala, India.
authors.forename: R K D
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Goel
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Bilkish
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Patvegar
keywords: Goiter; hemoglobin; iodine; iron deficiency; serum ferritin