Iodine Deficiency Disorders: Current State of the Problem in the Bryansk Region

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The Bryansk region is one of the regions of the Russian Federation most affected by the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on April 26, 1986.In the conditions of a chronic uncompensated deficiency of iodine in the diet in the first months after the accident, an active seizure of radioactive iodine by the thyroid tissue took place, which inevitably resulted in an increase in thyroid diseases from the population in the future. The article presents the results of a control and epidemiological study carried out in May 2021 by specialists of the National Medical Research Center of Endocrinology of the Ministry of Health of Russia, aimed at assessing the current state of iodine provision in the population of the Bryansk region.AIM: Assessment of iodine supply of the population of the Bryansk region.MATERIALS AND METHODS: The research was carried out in secondary schools of three districts of the Bryansk region (Bryansk, Novozybkov and Klintsy).The study included 337 schoolchildren of pre-pubertal age (8–10 years), all children underwent: measurement of height and weight immediately before the doctor’s examination, which included palpation of the thyroid gland (thyroid gland); Thyroid ultrasound using a portable device LOGIQe (China) with a multi-frequency linear transducer 10–15 MHz; determination of iodine concentration in single portions of urine. A qualitative study for the presence of potassium iodate in samples of table salt (n = 344) obtained from households and school canteens was carried out on the spot using the express method.RESULTS: According to the results of a survey of 337 pre-pubertal children, the median urinary iodine concentration (mCIM) is 98.3 μg / L (range from 91.5 to 111.5 μg / L, the proportion of urine samples with a reduced iodine concentration was 50.1%). According to the ultrasound of the thyroid gland, 17% of the examined children had diffuse goiter, the frequency of which varied from 9.4 to 29% in the areas of study. The share of iodized salt consumed in the families of schoolchildren in the study areas was 17.8% (values range from 15.6 to 19%), which indicates an extremely low level of iodized salt consumption by the population. All salt used for cooking in school canteen areas of the study was iodized, which confirms compliance with the requirements of SanPiN 2.4.5.2409–08.CONCLUSION: Despite the active implementation in the Bryansk region of various preventive programs of IDD and social activities to promote the use of iodized salt, in the absence of mass prevention with the help of iodized salt to date, their unsatisfactory results should be noted.