Nutritional Deficiency Disorders

Abstract

Endemic goitre continues to be a major public health problem in many of the developing countries. Probably a quarter of the world's population is at risk. In many endemias, especially those of India and central Africa, the disease and its accompanying disorders are responsible for serious disability and contribute to economic and social backwardness. While mild endemic goitre constitutes no particular disadvantage, when moderately severe or severe, the larger goitres may be a serious burden to the medical care system, and the attendant cretinism and lesser degrees of neuromuscular and intellectual impairment are surely important iodine deficiency disease is readily preventable by measures that are cost effective. Low viability of the disorder on the one hand and governmental inattention on the other are responsible for continued high prevalence rates. While there is ample information to support immediate implementation of prophylactic programmes in regions of endemic iodine deficiency disease, there remain interesting questions for research, the answers to some of which at least might affect the design and execution of prophylactic programmes and would certainly advance our understanding of iodine deficiency disease.