Iodine Deficiency Disorders in the South of Iran during 1989-2012: A Surveillance System Report

Background: iodine deficiency disorders (idd) have beenrecognized as a major public health problem worldwide.consequences of idd include goiter, hypothyroidism, andintellectual disability followed by retarded growth anddevelopment of the brain. this report aimed to determine thestate of idd in fars province, south of iran.methods: in this study, we gathered data from all scientificpapers, published and unpublished reports of idd surveillancesystem, results of idd-related surveys and all data from thecenter for disease control (cdc) at provincial and national levelsduring 1989-2012. five main idd indices are summarized,interpreted, and then organized in graphs and tables.resuits: after formation of national committee of idd followedby launching of extensive iodine delivery, most of idd indiceshave improved. the percentage of iodized salt intake hasincreased from 0 to near 100%, and that of salt with adequateamount of iodine has increased to 94.5%. median of urinaryiodine concentration (uic) has always been higher than theacceptable value (?100 ?g/l) and 68% of people had a mean ofuic ?100 ?g/l. the percentage of tsh (thyroid-stimulatinghormone) > 5 mu/l in the screened newborns has persistentlybeen less than 1% during 2005-11. prevalence of goiter hasdeclined from 68% in 1989 to 1.3% in 2007.conclusion: present findings address those efforts to combatiodine deficiency which were effective. according to the smallsample size and also the fact that some data have been derived at thenational level, we recommend that a comprehensive populationbasedsurvey should be carried out with sufficient sample size toachieve information with high accuracy and precision.