Endemic goitre: a research protocol elaboration for eradication

The iodine deficiency (ID), which affects 1 person out of 6, is relatively neglected by the responsible of Public Health Service, particularly in developing countries. Consequences of ID are far from being negligible: mental retardation, hypofertility, hyperplasia, carcinoma, early ageing and, in very exposed areas, endemic cretinism. Nevertheless, eradication is easy and cheap but it requires rigorous protocols and control of results. The elaboration of these protocols is complex because it must be adapted to environment, population and financial possibilities of concerned countries. Based on our experience in this field, we propose a combined protocol, between the Public Health too liberal approach and that of too expensive research, which can be adapted to several situations.