Iodine and iron status of pregnant women in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

Objective: Adequate iodine and Fe intakes are imperative during pregnancy to prevent fetal defects, but such data are not available in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We aimed to assess iodine and Fe status in pregnant women from Lubumbashi. Design: Cross-sectional study. We measured urinary iodine concentration (UIC) in random urine samples using a modified Sandell-Kolthoff digestion method; the WHO reference medians were used to classify iodine intake as deficient, adequate, more than adequate or excessive. Serum ferritin concentrations were measured by immunoenzymatic assay and considered insufficient when ,12 ng/ml. Setting: Maternity units from rural, semi-urban and urban areas of Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo. Subjects: Two hundred and twenty-five randomly selected pregnant women attending prenatal consultation, seventy-five postpartum women and seventy-five non-pregnant women as controls. Results: Overall median UIC in pregnant women was 138 (interquartile range: 105-172) mg/l, indicating iodine deficiency, whereas postpartum and nonpregnant women had adequate iodine intake: median UIC 5 144 mg/l and 204 mg/l, respectively. Median UIC values were lower in late pregnancy than in early pregnancy: in the first, second and third trimester respectively 255 mg/l, 70 mg/l and 88 mg/l in the rural area; 306 mg/l, 166 mg/l and 68 mg/l in the semi-urban area; and 203 mg/l, 174 mg/l and 99 mg/l in the urban area. Fe was insufficient in 39 % of pregnant women compared with 21 % of non-pregnant and postpartum women. In the third trimester, deficiencies in both iodine and Fe were high: 40 %, 12 % and 18 % in the rural, semi-urban and urban areas, respectively. Conclusions: Our data suggest that pregnant women are at risk of iodine and Fe deficiencies in Lubumbashi. Country policies fighting against iodine and Fe deficiencies during pregnancy should be reinforced.

Subclinical Iodine Deficiency among Pregnant Women in Haramaya District, Eastern Ethiopia: A Community-Based Study

“…It has also been demonstrated by other authors that better educated pregnant women are more likely to consume food with higher dietary quality index [27]. The decrease of the UIC in advanced stages of pregnancy that have been demonstrated by several others [28–30] was not confirmed by the present study. This could be due to the small number of respondents with the first trimester of pregnancy in the present study.…”

High Prevalence of Thyroid Dysfunction Among Pregnant Women in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo

“…In nonpregnant women, iodine intake was considered adequate if the median UIC was between 100 and 199 lg/L. Results of the iodine status of women in Lubumbashi have been published previously and are summarized in Table 1 (16).…”

“…However, a study by Kitwa et al (15) showed that noniodized salt was still commercialized in Lubumbashi markets, despite the fact that salt iodization is mandatory, and the iodine content of table salt collected in households was under the threshold limit of 15 ppm for 36.3% of samples. In a recent study, we showed that iodine intake varied across socioeconomic levels in Lubumbashi, and that pregnant women in rural and semiurban areas of Lubumbashi were moderately and mildly iodine deficient, with a median urinary iodine of 97 and 145 lg/L, respectively, while pregnant women in an urban area had an adequate iodine intake, with a median urinary iodine of 168 lg/L (16). As thyroid dysfunction might be a consequence of iodine deficiency, the objective of the present study was to assess the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction and its potential link with iodine deficiency in these pregnant women in Lubumbashi.…”

Edible Insects in a Food Safety and Nutritional Perspective: A Critical Review

“…Sphenarium grasshoppers are high in niacin, while axayacatl is also a rich source of iron. The high content of iron and zinc in many edible insects is of particular interest as a way to alleviate deficiencies that could be found in women's diets, particularly among pregnant women in developing world, and in vegetarian diet everywhere (Scholl ; Craig ; Habimana and others ).…”