Iodine deficiency in school going children of Pondicherry.
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2007-08-06
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess the status of iodine deficiency in Pondicherry by finding out the urinary excretion of iodine and the prevalence of goiter among school children.
METHODS: 315 children between the age group of 9-13 yr from 30 schools in Pondicherry were examined for the presence of goiter and their urine samples were subjected to biochemical analysis to find out the urinary iodine levels (UIE).
RESULTS: The percentage of children who had inadequate iodine intake and showed urinary iodine level of less than 100 mcg/ L was 44.4%. Amongst them, 14.3% had a greater degree of iodine deficiency with less than 50 mcg/L of iodine in urine. The prevalence of goiter was 15.24%.
CONCLUSION: The prevalence of goiter is high. The iodine intake is quite low as exhibited by the UIE levels of < 100mcg/L in the children in Pondicherry, which might have had an unseen impact on the intelligence and school performance of these children.
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Sarkar S, Mohanty B, Basu S. Iodine deficiency in school going children of Pondicherry. Indian Journal of Pediatrics. 2007 Aug; 74(8): 731-4