Goiter prevalence and thyroid volume by ultrasonographic volumetry in two groups of schoolchildren and adolescents from east Slovakia.

Thyroid volume by ultrasonographic volumetry was estimated in a total of 427 boys and 425 girls aged 7 to 16 years from East Slovakia. It was found that the volume is increasing by age and body weight, being in average about 2.5 ml in 7-8 years old, 3.5 to 4.5 ml in 9-12 years old, 5.2-6.0 ml in 13-14 years old and, as reported previously, 11-12 ml in 15-16 years old. Comparing these results to the findings reported from other countries, it may be concluded that in 13-14 years old schoolchildren the thyroid volume was about twice as high as reported for the same age group from Sweden (with presumably sufficient iodine intake) and by about 20 percent less than found in 13 years old schoolchildren in Federal Republic of Germany (with insufficient iodine intake). The average thyroid volume found in pubertal adolescents aged 15-16 years closely resembled that found in Federal Republic of Germany and was even higher than that found in adults from Sweden and Netherlands where the iodine intake is considered to be sufficient. Palpatory findings according to WHO scale showed 21 percent of goiter stage 1a in boys aged 7-14 years and 24 percent in girls of the same age group, while such values were 23 and 27 percent for boys and girls aged 15 and 16 years, respectively. In addition, in those aged 15-16 years about 3 percent of goiter stage 1b were found, while in those aged 7-14 only 3 cases of goiter stage 1b out of 425 examined were observed. It may be concluded that the present status of thyroid size in examined group closely resembles the first grade endemy of goiter as defined recently by Hetzel and, moreover, it may be suggested that the intake of iodine about 100 micrograms daily (which was recently reported by other authors from Czechoslovakia as based on urinary excretion of iodine) apparently does not fully prevent the development of goiter stage 1 in a considerable amount of children and adolescents.