Daily iodine intake in healthy children and adults and in goitrous patients in nonendemic Yugoslav area.

Daily iodine intake has been investigated in 52 healthy children (5-14 years), 112 healthy adults and in 39 patients with nontoxic goiter from the area of Zagreb/Yugoslavia. Fourteen goitrous patients received 1-thyroxine 150 micrograms daily for at least three months before the examination. Iodine intake has been estimated on the basis of urinary iodine excretion (microgram I-/g creatinine) in the first morning specimen. Iodine excretion in nontreated goitrous patients (92 +/- 30; Mean +/- SD) was significantly lower than in healthy adults (112 +/- 38), while the value in treated goitrous patients (165 +/- 69) was significantly higher than that in nontreated goitrous and healthy adult subjects. The results suggest that Zagreb area, although classified as nonendemic, has borderline iodine intake, and that relative iodine deficiency is of importance in goiter formation. The authors plead for increased daily iodine intake through increased table salt iodisation from actual amount of 10 to 20 to 25 mg KI/kg salt in order to provide an average daily intake of 250 micrograms of iodine.