Pregnant women urged: Get enough iodine

Citing the prevalence of iodine deficiency in the country, experts urged pregnant women and those of child-bearing age to get enough iodine in order to prevent their unborn baby from developing mental and physical retardation.

“These deleterious effects can be easily prevented with adequate iodine intake, particularly through proper use of iodized salt,” said Dr. Teofilo San Luis Jr., country representative to the Philippines of the International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (ICCIDD).

San Luis issued the appeal during the opening ceremony of the third Goiter Awareness Week. With the theme “Isip at Talino ng Anak Nakasalalay sa Thyroid ni Nanay,” the event was held last Jan. 17 at the Century Park Hotel in Manila during the 24th annual convention of the Philippine Thyroid Association.

Iodine is an essential part of the chemical structure of thyroid hormones produced by the thyroid gland located in the front part of the neck. The body must have proper levels of thyroid hormones — and therefore, iodine — to develop and function normally.

Major structures of the baby’s brain and central nervous system are formed during the first five months of pregnancy. This is the period when the unborn baby is totally dependent on the mother’s thyroid hormones for proper physical and mental development.

“If the mother is iodine-deficient, she is unable to produce enough thyroid hormones. Without sufficient thyroid     hormones from her mother, the unborn baby, if it survives, develops congenital hypothyroidism that causes permanent mental retardation,” San Luis said.

Aside from low birth weight and decreased child survival, iodine deficiency can also cause a very severe form of brain damage called cretinism.

Cretinism involves permanent mental retardation and varying degrees of additional developmental defects such as deaf-mutism, short stature, spasticity (a condition in which the body makes involuntary jerky motions), and other neuromuscular abnormalities.

“Any woman who develops goiter (enlarged thyroid gland) during pregnancy is presumed to be iodine-deficient and therefore, is putting her unborn child at risk,” San Luis said.

Studies have shown that in communities where iodine deficiency is prevalent, the average IQ of residents is decreased by about 13.5 points.

Seafood is the best source of iodine. Other sources include bread, milk and processed foods. The most reliable is iodized salt.

“Universal salt iodization is the most appropriate means to normalize iodine nutrition within communities. When this is not possible, iodized oil supplementation for children and women of child-bearing age should be implemented,” San Luis said.

Experts recommend the following daily salt intake for various age groups: 0-7 years, 90 micrograms (mcg); 7-12 years, 120 mcg; older than 12 years, 150 mcg; and pregnant and lactating women, 250 mcg.

Iodized salt contains 10 to 40 mcg of iodine per gram of salt. On average, people consume about six grams of salt a day. 

Goiter Awareness Week is supported by various medical societies, among them the Philippine Thyroid Association, the Philippine Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism, and the Philippine Society of Nuclear Medicine. During the week, various information fora on goiter in pregnancy were held in different areas nationwide to emphasize the theme for this year.

PL Asia Pacific (Phils.) Inc., manufacturer of the anti-thyroid medicine methimazole, provided support to the third Goiter Awareness Week.