Resumen

OLIVARES, Jorge L et al. An approach to a sanitary and social problem: urinary iodine excretion in pregnant women from a iodine deficient region. ALAN [online]. 2009, vol.59, n.4, pp.378-382. ISSN 0004-0622.

The urinary iodine excretion (UIE) assay is an effective method to detect reduced iodine intake. UIE was measured in two different samples (morning and evening) from 121 pregnant women, with a turbid-metric method modified by Pino (normal value =150 ug/l). Furthermore, thyroid function was evaluated in pregnant women with UIE <100 ug/l. From 121 pregnant women, the UIE was normal in 75 with similar morning and evening samples (morning: 305.2± 7.0; evening: 319.2± 8.8; p: NS). The UIE did no showed differences in different trimesters and in morning and evening samples. The UIE was low in 46 women (36.9%), without significant differences between morning and evening (morning: 88.12 ± 5.07 μg/l; evening: 88.7± 6.2 μg/l; p: NS). Normal or low UIE were not influenced by the age of pregnant women and 45% of pregnant women with UIE <100ug/l showed impaired thyroid function. Morning and evening study of UIE allowed us to detect a higher number of pregnant women with low iodine intake. This study let us to find thyroid function abnormalities likes a screening method, because in our state there is not a public screening program for gestational hypothyroidism.

Palabras clave : Morning and evening urinary; iodine excretion; gestational thyroid dysfunction.