NEONATAL TSH SCREENING - AN INSTRUMENT OF IODINE SUPPLEMENTATION MONITORING IN BULGARIA IN COMPARISON TO BERLIN - A PRELIMINARY-REPORT

The challenge to eradicate iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) by the ye ar 2000 worldwide will have positive consequences for more than 20 mil lion people suffering from IDD. This is the main and common goal for t he developing but also for a lot the developed countries. Sensitive to ols like neonatal thyroid screening (NTS) can be used in order to make changes in iodine supplementation more transparent and to have a dyna mic target oriented approach. The comparison between six districts in Bulgaria and Berlin revealed despite of some positive changes after th e fortification of the iodine supplementation program still existing i odine deficiency in Bulgaria which is more profound than in Berlin in 1990. The shift to higher TSH-values in the Black-Sea region, classifi ed by goitre-prevalence in 1956 as non-endemic for iodine deficiency, needs further investigation. Besides of iodine deficiency an influence of iodine-containing disinfectants and/or goitrogens is possible.