Endemic Cretinism

Responding to a renewed interest in the growing problem of iodine deficiency worldwide, Drs. Charles Oxnard and Peter Obendorf, along with experienced translator and anatomist John Dennison, take a fresh look at the classic text, Der endemische Kretinismus, published in 1936 by Springer. Translated here for the first time into English, this landmark text will be a welcome resource for researchers confronting the problem of iodine deficiency. Oxnard and Obendorf point out that there is very little detailed knowledge or numerical data on cretinism available in the English-speaking world. In addition, highly-renowned Professor Basil S. Hetzel, recently-retired World Health Organization Chairman of the International Council for Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders, published in 2009 with Dr Chen Zu-pei on the resurgence of iodine deficiency in China. Indeed, throughout the entire developing world there may be as many as two billion people at risk to iodine deficiency; perhaps three quarters of a billion have goiter, and ten million may be cretins. Even in developed countries, iodine deficiency is re-emerging (as in New South Wales in 19% of children) with the result of significantly reduced numbers of gifted children (though this is not cretinism per se). Certain to be of significant interest to a wide range of researchers, health providers and professionals, including government health administrators, this English translation of Endemic Cretinism is a major contribution to the literature.

Twelve contributions evaluate the chemistry of trace elements in preparations and their potential bioavailability to the consumer; consider palatability, mineral interactions, and other nutritional factors; discuss trace elements' biology and pharmacokinetics to facilitate the development of protoco

This volume contains the proceedings of a conference held at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda on March 21-23. 1988. jointly sponsored by the International Council for Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (ICCIDD) and the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health. Several themes converged to make this meeting timely. The first is an increasing awareness of iodine deficiency disorders as a world-wide problem of public health and a preventable cause of mental deficiency. and as a subject of scientific effort. Increased interest in these problems owes a great deal to accessibility to remote and under developed areas of the world where iodine deficiency persists. As with any subject. greater scrutiny yields unexpected complexity and interest. It is true that provision of iodine. typically as iodized salt, is the necessary and sufficient preventative for iodine deficiency disorders. without including endemic cretinism. This provision is a governmental, economic and social problem. Apart from this, however, the scientific and medical problem of iodine deficiency and its effect on brain development and function is one of great interest and importance for developmental neurology and psychology. Even though the specific preventative agent is known, we do not totally understand the neurobiological questions raised.

Iodine is an essential micronutrient and an integral component of the thyroid hormones, which are required for normal growth and development. The iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) encompass a spectrum of adverse health effects including goiter, cretinism, hypothyroidism, growth retardation, and increased pregnancy loss and infant mortality. This volume summarizes the current understanding of the effects of iodine deficiency as well as iodine excess. It also discusses best practices for salt iodization, the mainstay of global IDD prevention efforts, and other forms of food fortification. The effectiveness of iodine supplementation for vulnerable populations, an evolving strategy in many regions, is also described. Low level environmental exposure to chemicals such as perchlorate and thiocyanate, which competitively block thyroidal iodine uptake, appears to be ubiquitous worldwide. There has been recent concern that such environmental exposures might pose a health hazard by inducing or aggravating underlying thyroid dysfunction. This up-to-date volume explores both the effects of iodine deficiency as well as the best strategies for IDD prevention.

This book presents the scientific papers, discussions, and recommendations of the 1983 Lima, Peru PAHO/WHO Technical Group Meeting. The text is divided into 5 parts, examining the various topics in the subjects (pathophysiology, special problems, methods of diagnosis and treatment, geographic documentation, and recommendations.

This book presents a comprehensive overview of pediatric thyroid diseases and thus provides a useful tool for clinical problem solving. Opinion leaders in the field present reviews on all relevant diseases of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis. Sixteen chapters cover topics ranging from fetal thyroidology, congenital hypothyroidism, central hypothyroidism, inherited defects of thyroid hormone action, cell transport and metabolism to iodine deficiency, autoimmune thyroid disease and thyroid tumors. Written by clinicians, the chapters provide in-depth information and current guidelines for clinical problems encountered in pediatric thyroidology. As a unique feature, a case seminar collection for each chapter presents typical patient histories providing key learning points and key references for clinical problem solving in family medicine, pediatric endocrinology and medical genetics. Providing a succinct update on clinical pediatric thyroidology, this book is an essential tool for pediatric and adult endocrinologists, as well as for general practitioners, pediatricians and medical geneticists.