Iodine Deficiency Disorders Among School Children in Upper Egypt: An Epidemiologic Study

The prevalence of iodine deficiency disorder (IDD) and its potential risk factors in Upper Egypt were investigated in a study conducted in three governorates: Al-Minya Asyut and Suhag. A two-stage cluster sampling technique was used to select 6750 schoolchildren 8-10 years of age for clinical examination of the thyroid gland and determination of urinary iodine. The overall prevalence of goiter was 34.6%. The median urinary iodine level was 5.04 mcg/dl among children with goiter compared with 14.81 mcg/dl among those without this condition. According to multiple logistic regression the following groups of children were at increased risk of goiter: females (odds ratio (OR) 3.07; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.78-3.39) children in households where drinking water had an iodine content less than 0.5 mcg/100 ml (OR 3.44; 95% CI 3.09-3.89) and children living in places where the soil content of iodine was less than 0.2 mcg/100 g (OR 2.67; 95% CI 2.30-3.10). Overall these findings indicate that IDD is a serious public health problem in Upper Egypt. In view of IDDs association with neurologic damage and mental retardation there is an urgent need for interventions such as salt iodization.