Endemic goiter in Calabria: Etiopathogenesis and thyroid function

Abstract

An endemic goiter study was carried out in a vast territory of the Calabria region, including the provinces of Catanzaro and Cosenza. About 50% of 7231 school-children, aged between 6 and 12 years, examined in 34 villages, presented a thyroid enlargement. The high prevalence of goiter seems to be related to a moderate iodine deficiency intake indicated by a mild urinary iodine excretion (lower than 100 micrograms/g creatinine). In a few villages, in which a two year voluntary iodine prophylaxis was carried out, an increase in the urinary iodine excretion with a decreased goiter prevalence was observed. A slight increase in TT3, FT3 and TSH in one endemic area studied, compared to the control area, was also observed. These data suggest that an effective program of iodoprophylaxis is fundamental in this region as well.

Monitoring the effects of iodine prophylaxis in the adult population of southern Italy with deficient and sufficient iodine intake levels: a cross-sectional, epidemiological study

“…The results of the present study confirm and extend our previous data ( 19 , 20 ) , indicating the benefits of the persistent iodoprophylaxis campaign in the I-deficient areas of the region of Calabria. Following recommendations from WHO in 1993, I prophylaxis is monitored by assessing both goitre prevalence and UI concentration ( 24 ) .…”

The Geographical Pattern of Thyroid Cancer Mortality Between 1980 and 2009 in Italy

“…[Bolzano and Trento] in northern Italy and Calabria in southern Italy) are in areas that in the past were known to be iodine-deficient (and thus endemic for goiter) (27)(28)(29), consistently with reports from other geographic areas (30). Residence in areas that are endemic for goiter is known to be a risk factor for TC (7).…”

Endemic Goiter and Iodine Prophylaxis in Calabria, a Region of Southern Italy: Past and Present

“…The first study was conducted by our research group [29] in 1987–1989 on 34 villages of extraurban areas of Catanzaro (A) and Cosenza (B) provinces. In this survey, 4468 and 2721 schoolchildren (aged between 6–12 years) of area A and area B, respectively, were examined.…”

“…These five villages were chosen since their drug-stores carried iodized salt and the population was advised to use it. As shown in Figure 2, an increase of UI concentration along with a reduced goiter prevalence were found, suggesting that an effective program of iodine prophylaxis is urgently needed in this region [29].…”

“…The first survey was carried out in the years 2007–2009 on 11–14 year old children recruited from long standing iodine sufficient urban areas (U) and from rural areas (R) in which an iodine insufficiency was previously documented [29,30]. In agreement with the guidelines of WHO, UNICEF, and International Council for Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (ICCIDD) [9], monitoring was based on both the percentage of goiter and the median value of UI concentration in schoolchildren.…”