Zinc status in goitrous school children of Semirom, Iran

Background: iodine deficiency produces the spectrum of iodine deficiency disorders (idds) including endemic goiter ,hypothyroidism, cretinism and congenital anomalies. other factors , including goitrogens and micronutrient deficienciesmay influence the prevalence and severity of idds and response to iodine supplementation. an association betweenzinc and goiter has previously been reported .methods: a cross sectional study investigating an association between goiter and serum zinc status was performed in2003 in a mountainous region of iran. one thousand eight hundred twenty-eight children were selected by multistagecluster sampling. goiter staging was performed by inspection and palpation. serum zinc, total thyroxine, thyroid stimulatinghormone and urinary iodine concentration were measured in a group of these children .results : thirty six and seven tenth percent of subjects were classified as goitrous . serum zinc level in goitrous andnongoitrous children was 82.80 ± 17.85 and 83.38 ± 16.25 ug/dl, respectively (p = 0.81). the prevalence of zinc deficiency(serum zinc :s 65 ug/dl) in goitrous and nongoitrous children did not differ significantly (9.3 % vs. 10.8%, p = 0.70).conclusion: goiter is still a public health problem in semirom. according to the present study zinc status may not playa role in the etiology of goiter in semirom school children . however, the role of other goitrogens or micronutrient deficiencies should be investigated in this region.