Iodine deficiency diseases are a group of diseases that are or can be caused by the lack of iodine in the body. Iodine is a dark violet non-metallic element that belongs to a group of halogens but is less reactive than the other halogens. It has a boiling point of 13.5ºc and a melting point of 183ºc, when heated a violet vapor is given out. It can be extracted from seawater, seaweeds, and oil well brines. It is also concentrated in the thyroid gland as a part of the thyroid hormone. Iodine can be found in water more than it can be found on land this is because iodine cycling is very slow and incomplete in most regions so it takes a long time for the soil to regain the iodine (Michael Zimmermann & Creswell J. Eastman, 2009), which is washed out of the soil by processes such as leaching and ongoing erosion. So crops grown on such soil becomes iodine deficient. The iodine washed away usually ends up in seawater hence the high iodine (World Health organizations, 1995) areas and areas of frequent flooding, but can also occur in coastal regions (Michael Zimmermann & Creswell J. Eastman, 2009). Iodine is needed for growth and development even for the fetus. Lack of iodine is also known as an iodine deficiency and can cause abortion stillbirth, mental retardation, growth retardation and goiter. Human being needs a very small amount of iodine to prevent deficiencies (World Health organizations, 1995).
According to WHO’s book humans need only a 250 micrograms of iodine, which is just a quarter of a milligram (World Health organizations, 1995). This small amount is able to sustain humans and help them to have a healthy. The tables underneath show the recommended daily intake of iodine per day.
Table 1: World health organization’s recomme...
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Hypothyroidism develops when the thyroid gland does not produce enough of certain hormones. (“Hypothyroidism”, n.d.). Hypothyroidism can be broken down even further. The two types of hypothyroidism are congenital hypothyroidism or acquired hypothyroidism. According to Porth 2011, “Congenital hypothyroidism develops prenatally and is present at birth. Acquired hypothyroidism develops later in life because of primary disease of the thyroid gland or secondary to disorders of hypothalamic or pituitary origin.” (p. 786). Some common symptoms include increased sensitivity to cold, dry skin, fatigue, constipation, drowsiness, hypothermia and muscle weakness (“Hypothyroidism”, n.d.).
The balance of the thyroid hormone is complicated and involves the participation of different parts of the body (Kaplustin, 2010).
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The thyroid gland is found in the front of the neck and produces two main hormones. The hormones are called thuroxine (T4) and Triiodothyronine (T3). Together these hormones regulate the body’s metabolism by increasing energy use in cells, regulate growth and development, help to maintain body temperature and aid in oxygen consumption. These two hormones are regulated by hormones produced by the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. The hypothalamus senses changes in body’s metabolic rate and releases a hormone known as thyropin-releasing hormone (TRH). This hormone then flows through connecting vessels to the pituitary gland which signals it to release another hormone. This hormone is known as thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). TSH then makes its way to the bloodstream until it reaches the thyroid where it is then signaled to activate T3 and T4 production [1]. This mechanism is controlled by a negative feedback loop meaning that when there is a sufficient amount of thyroid hormones in the blood stream, this will signal back to stop production of thyroid stimulating hormones. Complications occur when the thyroid hormones keep increasing even though there is already a sufficient amount of T3 and T4 in the blood stream. This process of over expression of thryroid hormones is known as hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism is a general term that includes any disease that has a consequence of an overabundance of thyroid hormones. Hyperthyroidism is a general term but there are many variant diseases that are in the hyperthyroidism category. These diseases include diffuse toxic goiter, Basedow’s disease, thyrotoxicosis, Parry’s and Graves’ disease.
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