HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Elnour, A. Articles by Bourdoux, P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Elnour, A. Articles by Bourdoux, P. Agricola Articles by Elnour, A. Articles by Bourdoux, P.

Endemic goiter with iodine sufficiency: a possible role for the consumption of pearl millet in the etiology of endemic goiter^1,2,3

¹ From the Department of Medical Sciences, Nutrition, Uppsala University, Sweden; the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Sudan; the Omdurman Nutrition and Endocrinology Research Center, Khartoum, Sudan; and the Laboratory of Medical Statistics, School of Public Health, and the Laboratory of Pediatrics, Free University of Brussels (ULB).

Background: Deficiencies of iodine, iron, and vitamin A are the 3 most common micronutrient deficiencies in developing countries, although control programs, when properly implemented, can be effective.

Objective: We investigated these deficiencies and their possible interaction in preschool children in the southern Blue Nile area of Sudan.

Design: Goiter, signs of vitamin A deficiency, and biochemical markers of thyroid, vitamin A, and iron status were assessed in 984 children aged 1–6 y.

Results: The goiter rate was 22.3%. The median urinary iodine concentration was 0.79 µmol/L and 19.3% of the children had a concentration >1.57 µmol/L. Although serum thyroxine and triiodothyronine concentrations were within reference ranges, the median thyrotropin concentration was 3.78 mIU/L and 44% of the children had thyrotropin concentrations above normal. The mean urinary thiocyanate concentration was high (259 ± 121 µmol/L). The prevalences of Bitot spots and night blindness were 2.94% and 2.64%, respectively, and 32% of the subjects had serum retinol binding protein concentrations <15 mg/L. A significant positive correlation was observed between thyrotropin and retinol binding protein. Whereas 88% of the children had hemoglobin concentrations <1.86 mmol/L, only 13.5% had serum ferritin concentrations below the cutoff of 12 µg/L and 95% had serum transferrin concentrations above the cutoff of 2.50 g/L.

Conclusions: Our results indicate that goiter is endemic in this region of Sudan despite iodine sufficiency and that both anemia and vitamin A deficiency are health problems in the area. Moreover, consumption of millet, vitamin A deficiency, and protein-energy malnutrition are possible etiologic factors in this endemic area.

Key Words: Iodine • goiter • vitamin A • iron • anemia • southern Blue Nile area • Sudan • pearl millet • micronutrient deficiency • children