It is estimated to affect more than 700 million people, most of them located in the less developed countries.
An iodine deficiency can lead to simple goiter – enlargement of the thyroid gland, and can impair fetal development, causing cretinism.
Cretinism affects approximately 6 million people worldwide and can be averted by the early diagnosis and treatment of maternal iodine deficiency.
Iodine, named after the Greek word for violet, was first observed as a violet vapor during the making of gunpowder at the beginning of the century.
The term iodine deficiency disorders refer to all the ill-effects of iodine deficiency in a population that can be prevented by ensuing that the population has an adequate intake of iodine.
Universal salt iodization (USI) is the main intervention strategy for iodine deficiency control, and was adopted by the International; Conference on Nutrition in 1992, reaffirmed by the World Health Assembly in 1993.
Iodine deficiency disorders
