The Effect of Voluntary Iodine Prophylaxis in a Small Rural Community: The Pescopagano Survey 15 Years Later

Abstract

In the present work, the role of voluntary iodine prophylaxis was assessed in a small rural community relatively segregated, in which genetic and other environmental factors have not substantially changed between the 2 surveys. Iodine intake strongly affected the pattern of thyroid diseases, but the benefits of correcting iodine deficiency (decreased prevalence of goiter and thyroid autonomy in younger subjects and reduced frequency of nonautoimmune hyperthyroidism in older subjects) far outweighs the risk of development of thyroid autoimmunity and mild hypothyroidism in youngsters.