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Iodine deficiency during infancy and early childhood in Belgium: does it pose a risk to brain development?
1International Council for Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (ICCIDD), 153 Avenue de la Fauconnerie, 1170-Brussels, Belgium. fdelange@ulb.ac.be
Insights
Iodine deficiency is prevalent in Belgian infants and young children, posing a risk for brain damage. Supplementation showed slow recovery, indicating a critical need for iodine programs in this age group.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Science
- Pediatrics
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Iodine deficiency is a known issue in Belgium across various age groups.
- Data on iodine status in children aged 6 months to 3 years was lacking.
- This deficiency poses a risk of irreversible brain damage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate iodine nutrition status in Belgian infants and young children (6 months-3 years).
- To assess the risk of iodine deficiency-related brain damage in this population.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of iodine supplementation.
Main Methods:
- Studied 111 healthy children aged 6 months to 3 years.
- Analyzed 244 urine samples for iodine concentration.
- Administered daily iodine supplementation (90 micrograms) and monitored urinary iodine levels over time.
Main Results:
- Median urinary iodine concentration was 101 micrograms/l, below the normal range (180-220 micrograms/l).
- Urinary iodine levels normalized only after approximately 30 weeks of supplementation.
- Slow normalization suggests thyroid gland iodine storage, indicative of deficiency.
Conclusions:
- Infants and young children in Belgium exhibit iodine deficiency.
- This age group is at risk for brain damage due to inadequate iodine intake.
- Systematic population-wide iodine supplementation is necessary in Belgium.
Abstract:
Iodine deficiency is well documented in Belgium in adults including pregnant women, adolescents, schoolchildren, and neonates, but no data are available in the age group 6 months-3 years. We investigated the status of iodine nutrition in 111 healthy subjects in this age group in an attempt to evaluate the risk of brain damage due to iodine deficiency in Belgium. In 244 causal urine samples collected in these subjects, the median concentration of iodine was 101 micrograms/l vs 180-220 micrograms/l under normal conditions. The daily supplementation of the subjects with a physiological dose of 90 micrograms iodine was followed by a slow and progressive increase of urinary iodine, which reached a normal level only after a delay of about 30 weeks of therapy. This observation suggests that part of the supplement of iodine offered to the children was stored in their thyroid glands until the iodine content of the gland had reverted to normal, reflecting the state of hyperavidity of the thyroid for iodide characteristic of iodine deficiency. In conclusion, infants and young children in Belgium are as iodine deficient as all other age groups of the population and, consequently, are at risk of brain damage. This works further illustrates the need for systematic iodine supplementation of the population in Belgium.