Abstract
Urinary iodine excretion was measured on the fifth day of life in 461 neonates from nine different towns in the Federal Republic of Germany. There was a progressive fall in levels from north to south, with highest values in Hamburg (2.9 micrograms/dl) and lowest in Freiburg (1.2 micrograms/dl). All levels were lower than those of neonates in other countries in which iodine is added to salt: Stockholm (61 neonates) 9.6 micrograms/dl, Zurich (63) 4.75 micrograms/dl. Iodine analysis of mothers in G ottingen on the fifth day post-partum indicated that iodine excretion in urine of mothers with goitre (51 cases) was significantly lower than in a control group without goitre (38): 17.6 compared with 30.0 micrograms/g creatinine, and the iodine content of breast milk in the goitre group was significantly lower than that of the control group (1.75 compared with 2.5 micrograms/dl). Iodine content in artificial infant milk preparations was of a similar range. These results indicate that iodine supply during the neonatal period in the Federal Republic of Germany is very low; they support the demand for general iodine-salt prophylaxis.
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