Analysis of iodine nutritional status of key population in Puhui Town, Korla Xinjiang

Objective To investigate iodine nutritional status of key population in Puhui Town, Korla Xinjiang. Methods In 2018, totally 29 samples of factory water, peripheral water and self-prepared well water from centralized water supply in Puhui Town were collected, and urine samples, salt samples and blood samples were collected from 200 children aged 8 to 10 years old and 100 women of childbearing age (including pregnant women) in Puhui Town. Arsenic-cerium catalytic spectrophotometric method was used for determination of iodine in water and urine; the salt iodine was determined using direct titration and the thyroid was examined by ultrasound. The assessment was conducted according to the standard of "Delineation of Water-source Areas and Endemic Areas of High Iodine Goiter" (GB/T 19380-2016). Results In this survey, the median of water iodine in Puhui town (n= 29)was 76.1 μg/L, and the median of salt iodine (n= 175) was 27.76 mg/kg; the rate of iodized salt was 98.29% (172/175); the consumption rate of qualified iodized salt was 96.00% (168/175); the medians of urinary iodine of children aged 8 to 10 years old (n= 208), women of childbearing age (n= 73), and pregnant women (n= 25) were 292.47, 248.23, and 246.36 μg/L, respectively. The thyroid enlargement rate was 1.9% (4/208) in children aged 8- 10 years old, no swelling of women of childbearing age and pregnant women. Conclusions Iodine nutrition of pregnant women is in an appropriate state; both the children aged 8 to 10 years old and the women of childbearing aged are in excess of the appropriate level; goiter rate is lower in children. According to the national standards, Puhui Town does not belong to waterborne high iodine area. Key words: Drinking; Urine; Iodine; Thyroid gland