Variations in urinary iodine excretion and thyroid function. A 1-year study in healthy men

Abstract

Seven per cent of individual urine samples indicated severe iodine deficiency without this being present in the group studied. Dispersion was reduced by 24% when using estimated 24 h urinary iodine excretion rather than urinary iodine concentration. Participants with moderate iodine deficiency (average annual urinary iodine excretion 25-50 microg/24 h) showed clear signs of substrate deficiency for thyroid hormone synthesis while participants with mild iodine deficiency (50-100 microg/24 h) did not.