Indicators of Iodine Status in Pregnancy and Postpartum in a Group of Pregnant Women from Perimarine Area of Romania

Objective: Assessment of iodine nutritional status in pregnant women in the perimarine area of Romania, a region without iodine deficiency. Adequate iodine intake is the main source for normal thyroid function, ensuring the need for maternal thyroid hormones during pregnancy, but also for the development and growth of children in the fetal and postpartum period.

Material and method: Prospective study performed on 74 pregnant women in the first 2 trimesters of pregnancy, originating from the perimarin area. The following indicators of iodine status were analyzed: urinary iodine concentration (UIC), the ratio between urinary iodine concentration and urinary creatinine (UIC/UCr), the prevalence of maternal goiter and the value of neonatal TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). Results: The mean gestational age was 11 weeks. The ways of iodine intake are: iodized salt - 59.4%, iodized salt and iodine supplements- 23%, only iodine supplements -10.8% and 6.8% consume only non-iodized salt. The median of UIC was 133.03 mcg/l considered insufficient iodine intake (normal in pregnancy UIC >150 mcg/l), but the adjustment of UIC to urinary creatinine reveals a median of 152.83 mcg/g, a value that reflects an adequate iodine intake. The prevalence of goiter was 25.6% characteristic for a moderate iodine deficiency. The prevalence of neonatal TSH >5 mIU/L was registered in 18.8% characteristic of mild iodine deficiency. Conclusions: Monitoring of the iodine nutritional status is recommended for the prevention of disorders due to iodine deficiency under the conditions of universal salt iodization. Perimarine areas considered sufficient in iodine may show variations in iodine status in subpopulations under certain physiological conditions, such as pregnancy. An indicator of iodine status of the population is UIC, but the UIC/UCr ratio may be a more optimal indicator for pregnant women, to avoid possible overestimated results of iodine deficiency in pregnancy.