Abstract
To determine the prevalence of insufficient iodine intake in pregnant women. The search was performed in the electronic databases Medline (PubMed), Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (Lilacs) and Scopus. Review studies, experimental studies, those with adolescent pregnant women (< 20 years) and iodine supplementation were excluded. The selection followed the steps of identifying the articles in the databases, deleting the duplicates, and reading the titles, abstracts, and then the entire article. The search for the articles occurred in September 2017, using the descriptors "pregnant" and "iodine deficiency" NOT "supplementation" in English, Portuguese and Spanish. Thirteen articles were included, the deficiency prevalence ranged from 16.1% to 84.0%, and the median of iodine intake was insufficient in 75% of the studies. There is no classification for mild, moderate or severe levels of iodine deficiency in pregnant women, which makes it impossible to know the real dimension of the problem. The high prevalence of insufficient iodine intake in pregnant women, observed worldwide, shows the need for a population classification in order to direct public policies. Arch Endocrinol Metab. 2019;63(3):306-11.
Highlights
Iodine is essential for the synthesis of thyroid hormones during pregnancy and for the fetal neurological development [1,2,3] The main consequences of low intake for pregnant women are goiter, spontaneous abortion, hypothyroidism and thyroid nodules
The review followed the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) [9] and was based on the guiding question “Is there a reason for concern about insufficient iodine intake in pregnant women?”
In order to evaluate the urinary iodine concentration (UIC) of pregnant women, the World Health Organization (WHO) reference was considered, where Urinary Iodine Concentration (UIC) < 150 μg/L is classified as insufficient iodine intake, 150-249 μg/L adequate, 250-499 μg/L more than necessary, ≥ 500 μg/L excessive intake [10]
Summary
Iodine is essential for the synthesis of thyroid hormones during pregnancy and for the fetal neurological development [1,2,3] The main consequences of low intake for pregnant women are goiter, spontaneous abortion, hypothyroidism and thyroid nodules. The recommendation for iodine is higher because there is an increase in the production of thyroid hormone, renal losses and transfer of this mineral from the mother to the fetus, all of which increases the need [5]. Universal salt iodination was suggested in 1831 by the French scientist Boussingault to minimize the prevalence of goiter. As a result, this strategy reduced goiter in the population, increased urinary excretion, improved thyroid function and increased iodine intake in pregnant women, so it was implemented in several countries around the world [7,8]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
