[Relationship between thyroid size and urinary concentration of iodine in the population of Bialystok]

The survey carried out in May 1991 in the city of Białystok comprised 308 children of age between 8 and 14 years and 116 young adults. In each of the studied subjects the size of the thyroid was measured by ultrasonography and iodine concentration determined in a randomly voided sample of urine. Body weight and height of the subjects have also been measured. In about 50% of the subjects studied (58.4% of children, 38.5% of men and 58.4% of women) the presence of goiter accompanied by a low urinary iodine concentration (median--2.0 micrograms/ml) was found. A significant negative correlation between the thyroid size and urinary iodine concentration, and lack of relation between the former and TSH concentration, have been found. No relation was observed between the presence of goiter and the inadequate physical development in the children studied. Insignificantly elevated TSH levels without accompanying clinical symptoms of hypothyreosis were observed in 8.7% of children, 3.8% of women and 5.1% of men studied. Higher prevalence of goiter found as compared to the results previously obtained in the same area can be related on the one to the use of more precise methods and on the other to real worsening of the situation due to discontinuation of obligatory iodine prophylaxis in the country more than 10 years ago.