[Effects of iodine prophylaxis on a voluntary basis on the thyroid volume of a young population in Val Tiberina].

In the present study, the thyroid volume of children residing in an area (Val Tiberina in Tuscany) characterized by moderate iodine deficiency in the past, was evaluated after iodized salt prophylaxis. In children born before the institution of iodine prophylaxis, thyroid volume was significantly higher than that in controls, both considering the entire population and only the nongoitrous children. In children born after iodine prophylaxis, no difference in thyroid volume was found with respect to controls. The data of the present study indicate that the exposure to iodine deficiency causes an enlargement of thyroid volume in schoolchildren. The iodized salt prophylaxis is able to prevent the development of goiter in the children born after prophylaxis and to keep the further increase of thyroid volume in older children.