Iodine deficiency in Turkey

Turkey is an iodine deficiency area. The overall goitre prevalence is thoug ht to be 30%, and most epidemiological studies give figures compatible with mild to moderate iodine deficiency. However, it is suspected that there ar e regions where iodine deficiency might be more severe than previously know n. In this study the goitre prevalence and iodine status in a mountain vill age in Central Anatolia were investigated and the results compared to those of an urban area with mild iodine deficiency. Parameters of iodine status in the mountainous region showed severe iodine deficiency comparable to tha t in Central Africa. It seems that there are regions in Turkey where curren t programmes of salt iodization will be inadequate to correct the problem o f iodine deficiency. Conclusions Our observations suggest that regional variations in iodine sta tus may impede the success of salt iodization programmes, which alone may n ot be adequate for correction of the problem country-wide. Alternative sour ces of iodine should be considered in addition to expanded and more efficie nt salt iodization programmes.