Resumen

CABALLERO, Luis  y  CARDENAS, Lucy. Urinary iodine excretion in school children of the Andean region, Venezuela 2011. Arch Venez Puer Ped [online]. 2014, vol.77, n.1, pp.15-19. ISSN 0004-0649.

Introduction: Iodine is an essential micronutrient for thyroid hormone synthesis. Iodine deficiency is associated with goiter, and poor pregnancy outcome: stillbirth, prematurity, stunted growth, and impaired cognitive and motor function. Urinary iodine excretion is a marker of recent iodine intake and is typically used to monitor population iodine sufficiency. Objective: To determine the prevalence of iodine deficiency in school children of the Andean region of Venezuela. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 1197 school children of both genders aged 7-14 years from 30 localities in the States of Táchira, Mérida and Trujillo, Venezuela. Spot urine samples were collected and analyzed for urinary iodine by the Sandell-Kolthoff reaction. The criteria suggested by WHO to indicate iodine deficiency were applied. Results: The median urinary iodine concentration was 180 μg/l (range 89-369 μg/l). 16.4 % of children had urinary iodine concentrations below 100 μg/l and 15.2 % of children had urinary iodine concentrations above 300 μg/l. Only 3.4 % of children had urinary iodine concentrations below 50 μg/l. Conclusions: On the basis of WHO criteria, the iodine status of school children was adequate in the Andean region of Venezuela.

Palabras clave : Iodine deficiency; school children; thyroid diseases.

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