Iodine deficiency amongst pregnant women in South‐West England

• Published in: Clinical endocrinology (Oxford) 2017-03, Vol.86 (3), p.451-455
• Main Authors: Knight, Bridget A., Shields, Beverley M., He, Xuemei, Pearce, Elizabeth N., Braverman, Lewis E., Sturley, Rachel, Vaidya, Bijay
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Breech Presentation; Cohort Studies; Dietary Supplements; England; Female; Gestational Age; Humans; Iodine - deficiency; Iodine - urine; Pregnancy; Prevalence; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0300-0664; 1365-2265
• DOI: 10.1111/cen.13268

Summary Introduction Iodine deficiency in pregnancy may impair foetal neurological development. The UK population is generally thought to be iodine sufficient; however, recent studies have questioned this assumption. Our study aimed to explore the prevalence of iodine deficiency in a cohort of pregnant mothers from South‐West England. Methods Urine samples were obtained from 308 women participating in a study of breech presentation in late pregnancy. They had no known thyroid disease and a singleton pregnancy at 36–38 weeks’ gestation. Samples were analysed for urinary iodine concentrations (UIC). Baseline data included age, parity, smoking status, ethnicity, body mass index (BMI) at booking, prenatal vitamin use and a dietary questionnaire. There was no difference in median UIC between women with (n = 156) or without (n = 152) a breech presentation (P = 0·3), so subsequent analyses were carried out as a combined group. Results Participants had a mean (SD) age 31(5) years, median (IQR) BMI 24·4 (22·0, 28·3) kg/m2; 42% were primiparous, 10% smoked during pregnancy, and 35% took iodine‐containing vitamins. Ninety‐six per cent were Caucasian. Median (IQR) UIC was 88·0 (54·3, 157·5) μg/l, which is consistent with iodine deficiency by WHO criteria. A total of 224/308 (73%) of women had UIC values