engleski

Initial results of increased salt iodination in Croatia

First project of compulsory iodination was successfully started in Croatia in 1953; requiring the iodination of salt with 10 mg of potassium iodide (KI) per kg of NaCl. After first 10 years, a threefold reduction of goiter prevalence was recorded. 40 years later it was presumed that endemic goiter has been eradicated. Nationwide investigation on goiter incidence was performed again in early nineties, showing that mild iodine deficiency still persists, keeping goiter prevalence in schoolchildren (SC) between 8 and 35%. Due to, on 09.10.1996, the new regulation on salt iodination was proclaimed, requiring 25 mg KI per kg of NaCl. Present pilot study has tried, 12 months after proclamation of a new law, to establish whether some improvement due to it's implementation could be observed. For that purpose urinary iodine excretion (UIE) was measured in SC; together with monitoring of salt iodine levels in households, in imported salt and in domestically produced salt. 77.9% - 94.8% of 589 SC (both sexes; 9-16 years old; from Zagreb, Rude, Osijek, Đakovo, Rijeka, Pazin, Dubrovnik) have had UIE above 5 ľg/dL. Also 41.2% - 70.8% of SC have had UIE above 10 ľg/dL. Medians of UIE ranged from 5.5 - 13,4 ľg/dL, and they were higher than before introduction of the new law (7,4 - 9 ľg/dL). These values are the best signs of improved iodine intake in Croatian youth. Nevertheless, further measures for improvement of iodine intake are recommendable because still 31% of controlled table-salt samples from households and 15,7% of imported salt samples have had KI level below 20 mg per kg of NaCl. Salt produced in Croatia was (Pag and Nin salt plants) completely in accordance with iodination regulations. On the other hand, as recent increase in urinary iodine excretion could not be simultaneously followed by reduction in goiter prevalence, further epidemiological surveys of iodine deficiency disorders are also warranted.

Initial results of increased salt iodination in Croatia

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