SFEBES2011 Oral Communications Pituitary and thyroid (8 abstracts)
Assessment of the UK iodine status: a National Survey
Mark Vanderpump 1 , John Lazarus 2 , Peter Smyth 3 , Robert Burns 3 , Margaret Eggo 4 , Thang Han 1 , Graham Williams 5 , Barbara Torlinska 4 , Karen Mullan 6 , Simon Pearce 7 , Salman Razvi 8 , Mike Lean 9 , Emile Combet Aspray 9 , Denise Bannon 10 , Prakash Abraham 11 , Bijay Vadia 12 , Graham Leese 13 , Peter Laurberg 14 , Kristien Boelaert 4 & Jayne Franklyn 4
1Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust, London, UK; 2University Hospital Wales, Cardiff, UK; 3University College, Dublin, Ireland; 4University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; 5Imperial College, London, UK; 6Royal Infirmary, Belfast, UK; 7University of Newcastle, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK; 8Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, Gateshead, UK; 9University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK; 10Institute of Medical Genetics, Glasgow, UK; 11Aberdeen Royal infirmary, Aberdeen, UK; 12Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, Exeter, UK; 13University of Dundee, Dundee, UK; 14Aalborg Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark.
Inadequate dietary iodine intake is the most common cause of preventable mental impairment worldwide and is defined by the WHO as a population median urinary iodine (UI) excretion <100 μg/l. No contemporary data are available for the UK according to the ICCIDD. The UK has no programme of food/salt iodination.
We have performed a systematic assessment of the current UK iodine status in 14–15 years old schoolgirls. Seven hundred and eighty-five participants from nine UK centres provided 737 urine samples. UI concentrations were measured as μg iodine/l by a multiplate persulphate digestion method followed by Sandel–Kolthoff colorimetry in specimens collected in Summer 2009 and Winter 2009/2010. Ethnicity, postcode and a diet questionnaire assessing sources of iodine were recorded. Iodine concentrations were also measured in water samples from each area.
The median UI value for this sample was 80 μg/l with 69% of samples <100 μg/l and 18% <50 μg/l. A multivariate regression analysis confirmed as independent factors a difference in summer versus winter iodine status (R2 0.2, P<0.001) with the median nadir of 76 μg/l in summer and a positive association with milk intake (R2 0.2, P<0.001). There was no correlation with other foods, ethnicity or city of origin.
These findings suggest that the UK is now iodine-deficient, consistent with a fall in iodine status recently reported in Australia and USA. Young women of child-bearing age are the most susceptible to the adverse effects of iodine deficiency. Even mild perturbations of fetal and maternal thyroid function have an impact upon neurodevelopment so these findings are consequently of huge public health importance. These findings indicate an urgent need for a comprehensive investigation of UK iodine status and evidence based recommendations on the need to implement a policy of iodine prophylaxis.
Generously funded by the Clinical Endocrinology Trust.
Volume 25
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Endocrine Abstracts
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