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Serum thyroglobulin concentration as an index of iodine status in adults
Author(s) -
Skeaff Sheila A,
Thomson Christine D,
Parnell Winsome R
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.845.11
Subject(s) - iodine deficiency , percentile , iodine , medicine , thyroglobulin , anthropometry , christian ministry , thyroid , national health and nutrition examination survey , thyroid stimulating hormone , endocrinology , zoology , chemistry , environmental health , population , biology , philosophy , statistics , mathematics , theology , organic chemistry
Thyroglobulin (Tg) is a precursor of thyroid hormone and shows promise as an index of iodine status. The 2008/09 New Zealand (NZ) Adult Nutrition Survey used a multi‐stage, stratified, probability‐proportionate to size sampling method to obtain a representative sample of adults 15 years and older. Participants were visited in their own home where socio‐demographic, dietary, biochemical (i.e. spot urine and blood sample), and anthropometric data were collected. The median (25th, 75th percentile) urinary iodine concentration (UIC) of NZ adults (n=3033) was 57 (34, 95) μg/L, which falls between 50–99 μg/L indicating mild iodine deficiency. The median (25th, 75th percentile) Tg concentration was 15.3 (8.3, 26.3) μg/L, which falls between 10.0–19.9 μg/L confirming mild iodine deficiency. Participants of NZ European and Other ethnicity had a lower Tg concentration than Maori and Pacific People (12.8 vs 16.2 and 15.1 μg/L, respectively; P=0.002). The Tg concentration of participants with a UIC <100 μg/L was 13.9 μg/L, which was significantly higher than those with a UIC ≥100 μg/L (10.4 μg/L; P<0.001). The serum Tg concentration of iodine deficient NZ adults was elevated. This study provides evidence that Tg can be used to assess iodine status in adult populations. The NZ Ministry of Health funded the Adult Nutrition Survey. The results presented in this paper are the work of the authors.