Maternal iodine supplements in areas of deficiency

Administration of iodine to women before or during pregnancy reduces childhood mortality by half and cretinism by two-thirds. For iodine supplementation to have the desired impact, all women of childbearing age should be made the target of such campaigns. The most effective way of providing iodine supplementation to women prior to pregnancy is to make iodized salt available in the community for everybody.

RHL Commentary by Ray Yip

EVIDENCE SUMMARY

Only one study was available for review. This study was conducted in New Guinea during the time iodine deficiency was highly endemic there, as measured by the high incidence of cretinism. Iodine oil injections administered to women before or during pregnancy resulted in a reduction of childhood mortality by half and of cretinism by two-thirds. The intervention did not eliminate the onset of cretinism - the most severe form of manifestation of iodine deficiency - entirely.

Four intervention trials were identified but only one met the criteria for inclusion.

The full RHL commentary also includes sections on:

Relevance
- Magnitude of the problem
- Feasibility of the intervention
- Applicability of the results of the Cochrane Review
- Implementation of the intervention
- Research
References

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This document should be cited as: Ray Yip. Maternal iodine supplements in areas of deficiency: RHL commentary (last revised: 17 March 1997). The WHO Reproductive Health Library, No 9, Update Software Ltd, Oxford, 2006. www.rhlibrary.com