[Increased dietary intake of iodine in young people in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 1993 and 1996].

We investigated the goiter prevalence and the urinary iodine excretion of 2,109 young people between 10 and 18 years in the district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany in 1995/96. The thyroid volume was determined by ultrasound (7.5 MHz), the iodine excretion by a modified cer-arsenit method. The daily iodine excretion as related to the body surface area and the age related creatinine excretion per 24 h were measured. The results were compared with those of a similar study from 1993 in the same region and the same range of age. The goiter prevalence in 1997 amounted to 18.5%. Among the studied persons 3.6% showed one or more nodules within their thyroid gland. The iodine excretion increased from 70 micrograms in 1993 to 95 micrograms in 1997. There were no changes in the individual nutritional habits (especially iodine-containing foods, using iodized salt etc.). We believe that the raised iodine intake is the result of a higher iodine supply in the commercially produced foodstuffs and animal products due to an increased incorporation of iodine in manufacture of food products.