Ultrasonographic determination of goiter prevalence in southern Brazilian schoolchildren

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of goiter in schoolchildren in a formerly iodine-deficient region in southern Brazil by assessing the relationship between body surface area (m 2 ) and thyroid volume (ml) measured by ultrasonography. A populationbased sample of 1,094 randomly selected schoolchildren (6 to 14 years; 556 boys and 538 girls) underwent clinical evaluation. A total of 119 (10.9%) children were diagnosed with goiter upon clinical examination according to WHO criteria (grade Ia: 65, grade Ib: 24, grade II: 29, grade III: 1). Of these, 85 underwent ultrasonography. In order to ascertain the absence of goiter in the 975 schoolchildren with a negative result upon clinical examination, one of ten children was randomly selected for ultrasonography. Sixty-two children agreed to be submitted to the exam. Thus, 147 schoolchildren were evaluated by ultrasonography (7.5-MHz transducer). Goiter was considered to be present when the thyroid volume:body surface area index was >6.2 ml/ m 2 . The estimated prevalence of goiter if all schoolchildren had been submitted to thyroid volume measurement by ultrasound was 7.2%; it was higher in the lower socioeconomic class (8.2%) than in the upper (7.8%) and middle classes (6.5%). In conclusion, the prevalence of goiter in schoolchildren of this region was higher than in other iodinesufficient areas, especially in lower socioeconomic classes. Goiter in this region may be associated with naturally occurring goitrogens that operate more intensively among less privileged individuals.

Poor dietary diversity, wealth status and use of un-iodized salt are associated with goiter among school children: a cross-sectional study in Ethiopia

“…Accordingly, the higher odds of having goiter were noted among children from households using the unprotected source of water. The finding was in agreement with the previous studies of other developing countries [10, 43–45], in which contamination of drinking water with Coliforms and E. Coli contributes to the development of goiter. The current study revealed that the majority, (96.6%), of the households did not treat water to make it safer for consumption.…”

“…It was documented that, poor maternal knowledge towards iodized salt use was positively associated with goiter [32, 40, 45]. Similarly, the odds of having goiter were reduced by 35% among children whose mothers had medium knowledge compared to those children whose mothers had poor knowledge.…”

Goitre Prevalence and Urinary Iodine Concentration in School-Aged Children in the Ashanti Region of Ghana

“…yroid gland ultrasonography is a more precise method than palpation technique for determining thyroid volume and has been recommended as the standard criterion in epidemiological surveys [17]. Urinary iodine concentration is a well-accepted, cost-effective, and easily obtainable indicator for iodine status [15].…”

Low prevalence of hypothyroidism among black and Mulatto people in a population‐based study of Brazilian women

“…Brazil is a country of high ethnic admixture, allowing examination of the influence of demographics and other risk factors on hypothyroidism. However, thyroid function tests in Brazil have been limited to specialized clinical settings and most Brazilians are unaware of their TSH levels, 7 with most Brazilian studies being related to goitre prevalence in schoolchildren 8–10 . We evaluated the risk factors associated with hypothyroidism in Brazilian women, particularly testing whether environmental factors could explain the relationship between hypothyroidism and race.…”