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To determine iodine intake and urinary iodine excretion (UIE) in a group of pregnant Thai women and the concentration of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in their neonates.
Design
A prospective cohort study.
Setting
Three districts of Songkhla, southern Thailand.
Subjects
Two hundred and thirty-six pregnant women.
Results
A quarter of the participants lacked knowledge of iodine and the prevention of iodine deficiency, although 70 % used iodized salt. Those who did not use iodized salt stated that they had no knowledge about iodine (57 %) and no iodized salt was sold in their village (36 %). The median iodine intake in the three districts was 205–240 μg/d, with 53–74 % of pregnant women having iodine intake <250 μg/d. The median UIE in the three districts was 51–106 μg/l, with 24–35 % having UIE < 50 μg/l. The mean neonatal TSH was 2·40 (sd 1·56) mU/l, with 8·9 % of neonates having TSH > 5 mU/l.
Conclusions
The studied women and their fetuses were at risk of mild iodine deficiency. About a quarter of the participants lacked knowledge of the importance of iodine. Education regarding the importance of iodine supplements and the promotion of iodized salt should be added to national health-care policies in order to prevent iodine-deficiency disorders, diseases that are subclinical but have long-term sequelae.
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