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The disorders induced by iodine deficiency affect at least one
billion people. Because ofits effects on brain development,
iodinedeficiency is the single most preventable cause of mental
retardation in the world. Therefore, the United Nations and the
Heads of State of almost all the world's countries represented at
the Summit for Children in 1990 adopted resolutions to eradicate
the disorders induced by iodine deficiency (IDD) by the year 2000.
For geological and socio-economic reasons, most of the populations
affected by iodine deficiency disorders live in isolated and
usually mountainous areas, in pre industrialized parts ofthe world.
The problem of iodine deficiency in Europe has been greatly
underestimated in the last decades. After the remarkable studies on
the effects of iodine deficiency and their prevention and
correction in Switzerland, IDD was generally considered no longer a
significant public health problem in Europe. However, surveys
carried out in the early 1980's under the auspices of the European
Thyroid Association, clearly demonstrated the persistence of
moderately or even severely affected areas. These surveys also
highlighted the lack ofinformation about large parts ofEurope,
especially its eastern part. It is only quite recently, following
major changes in international relations and thanks to the support
of UNICEF, WHO, the International Council for the Control of Iodine
Deficiency Disorders and the European Thyroid Association, that
more extensive surveys have been conducted in several parts of
Europe hitherto almost unexplored. These surveys showed that most
European countries were iodine deficient."
Systematic screening for congenital hypothyroidism in the newborn
was introduced some 15 years ago. The main objective was the
prevention of mental retardation due to thyroid hormone deficiency
during the early months of life. During the past decade screening
programs have become routine throughout most of the industrialized
world and many questions relating to implementation, organization
and quality control of such programs have been largely resolved.
Preliminary IQ and neurological data have indicated that screening
and early treatment do, in fact, prevent mental retardation.
However, a number of scientific questions related to congenital
hypothyroidism remain unanswered and extensive research activities
are ongoing in the field. The objective of the organizers of the
Brussels workshop was to focus almost exclusively on these current
research aspects of the screening programs. This workshop is the
third international conference specifically devoted to neonatal
thyroid screening. The first was held in La Malbaie in Quebec in
the fall of 1979. That meeting was well organized and highly
productive. Its proceedings constitute a bible in the field. After
the Quebec meeting, we witnessed major and rapid advances in our
understanding of neonatal thyroid physiology as well as screening
methodology, organiza tion, data management, the significance of an
approach to false negative and false positive results,patient
follow-up, and assessment of follow-up and treatment, and the
psychoneurological evaluation of affected infants. Some of these
aspects were further developed during a second highly pro ductive
international conference organized in Tokyo in 1982.
The disorders induced by iodine deficiency affect at least one
billion people. Because ofits effects on brain development,
iodinedeficiency is the single most preventable cause of mental
retardation in the world. Therefore, the United Nations and the
Heads of State of almost all the world's countries represented at
the Summit for Children in 1990 adopted resolutions to eradicate
the disorders induced by iodine deficiency (IDD) by the year 2000.
For geological and socio-economic reasons, most of the populations
affected by iodine deficiency disorders live in isolated and
usually mountainous areas, in pre industrialized parts ofthe world.
The problem of iodine deficiency in Europe has been greatly
underestimated in the last decades. After the remarkable studies on
the effects of iodine deficiency and their prevention and
correction in Switzerland, IDD was generally considered no longer a
significant public health problem in Europe. However, surveys
carried out in the early 1980's under the auspices of the European
Thyroid Association, clearly demonstrated the persistence of
moderately or even severely affected areas. These surveys also
highlighted the lack ofinformation about large parts ofEurope,
especially its eastern part. It is only quite recently, following
major changes in international relations and thanks to the support
of UNICEF, WHO, the International Council for the Control of Iodine
Deficiency Disorders and the European Thyroid Association, that
more extensive surveys have been conducted in several parts of
Europe hitherto almost unexplored. These surveys showed that most
European countries were iodine deficient."
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