Prevalence of Goitre and Its Relationship with Iodine Deficiency in School Children in Kocaeli, Turkey 5564 primary school children living in Kocaeli, Turkey, were clinically assessed for thyroid gland enlargement. Goitre was graded according to the WHO 1994 classification. 792 children showed various grades of goitre, giving a prevalence of overall goitre of 14.23%. The median urinary iodine values were found to be greater than 10mg/dl in each group of 20 students, who were selected randomly from those in whom Grade I and Grade II goitre had been detected and from those in whom goitre had not been detected. These results, when evaluated according to the WHO/ICCIDD criteria, suggest that it is unlikely that Kocaeli city center is an iodine-deficient area, and that there is no correlation between the prevalence of goitre and iodine deficiency.

Prevalence of Goitre and Its Relationship with Iodine Deficiency in School Children in Kocaeli, Turkey 5564 primary school children living in Kocaeli, Turkey, were clinically assessed for thyroid gland enlargement. Goitre was graded according to the WHO 1994 classification. 792 children showed various grades of goitre, giving a prevalence of overall goitre of 14.23%. The median urinary iodine values were found to be greater than 10mg/dl in each group of 20 students, who were selected randomly from those in whom Grade I and Grade II goitre had been detected and from those in whom goitre had not been detected. These results, when evaluated according to the WHO/ICCIDD criteria, suggest that it is unlikely that Kocaeli city center is an iodine-deficient area, and that there is no correlation between the prevalence of goitre and iodine deficiency.