Prevalence of iodine deficiency among Moroccan women of reproductive age.
Rami A., Saeid N., El Mzibri M., El Kari K., Idrissi M., Lahmam H., Mouzouni FZ., Mounach S., El Ammari L., Benkirane H., Al Jawaldeh A., Zimmermann MB., Aguenaou H.
BACKGROUND: Iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) affects nearly 1.9 million people worldwide. Iodine deficiency (ID) remains a public health concern not only for pregnant women, but for women of reproductive age (WRA) as well. This study was planned to evaluate the iodine status and the prevalence of iodine deficiency in a nationally representative sample of Moroccan WRA according to their socio-economic data and living areas. METHODS: This study is a cross-sectional national survey conducted on 1652 WRA aged between 18 and 49 years. Iodine status was assessed by the evaluation of the urinary iodine concentration (UIC) on spot urinary samples, using the Sandell-Kolthoff reaction, and by the estimation of iodine-rich food consumption, using a food frequency questionnaire. The World Health Organization cutoff of a median UIC of