Current status of iodine deficiency-related disorders prophylaxis in Slovakia – the life’s work of Julian Podoba remained unfinished

Abstract

Objective. Prophylaxis of iodine deficiency-related disorders with iodized salt in Slovakia was introduced in 1951. This prophylactic measure yielded remarkably good results. Endemic goiter and endemic cretinism disappeared. Sufficient iodine intake, mainly in children and adolescents, was confirmed in several local and international studies carried out in the period 1991–95. Unfortunately, since seventies, there has been no institution which would have dealt with iodine prophylaxis in such an extent as this important measure of Slovak preventive medicine would require. Neither systematic monitoring of iodine intake nor systematic population epidemiological studies have been carried out. We do not have any data on the iodine intake in pregnant women, the most vulnerable population group in relation to the iodine deficiency. During the period June 2014 – October 2015, we examined iodine excretion in 426 probands from three regions of Slovakia with an emphasis on the pregnant women.

Keywords

• iodine deficiency-related disorders
• iodine
• prophylaxis
• monitoring
• side-effects