The auditory threshold in a school-age population is related to iodine intake and thyroid function

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between auditory ca pacity and urinary iodine, taking into account thyroid volume and function, in a population of school-age children. Audiometry was carried out in 150 children (ages 6-14 years), together with measurements of thyroid volume, t hyrotropin (TSH), free T3, free T4, thyroglobulin, antiperoxidase and anti- TSH receptor antibodies, as well as iodine in a casual urine sample. Childr en with a TSH >5 muU/mL were excluded from the study. Ln the children with palpable goiter, there was an inverse relation between the auditory thresho ld at all frequencies and ioduria. Children with thyroglobulin values >10 n g/mL had a higher auditory threshold at all frequencies. In the children wi th palpable goiter and ioduria <100 <mu>g/L, the levels of thyroglobulin an d ioduria and the age accounted for 75% of the decibel (dB) variance at 200 0 (Hertz), with similar results at other frequencies. The children with a t hyroid sized at the >95th percentile had an odds ratio of 3.86 (95% confide nce interval: 2.59-5.10) of having a threshold >20 db. The results warn tha t iodine prophylaxis is needed to prevent not only goiter but also other io dine-deficiency disorders, such as involvement of the auditory threshold in school-age children.