Iodine and thyroid disease in Latin America

Endemic goiter continues to be a major health problem of Latin America despite legislation in most countries requiring the iodization of salt for human consumption. In many instances this legislation has not been fully implemented or has been entirely neglected. As a result, endemic goiter and its consequences, endemic cretinism and deafmutism and possibly other related disadvantageous states, continue in many communities of Central and South America. Salt iodization programs have not been fully implemented for a variety of reasons, including failure to appreciate the economic and social disadvantages of goiter, apathy on the part of officials charged with the responsibility, the slight economic disadvantage of adding iodide or iodate to salt prepared for human consumption, and the real difficulties of introducing iodized salt into areas that are remote and severely deprived economically. When prophylactic programs employing iodized salt are not possible, for whatever reasons, the population group may be injected with iodized poppyseed oil as an alternative preventive measure. Programs employing this method have proved to be effective, economically sound, and acceptably free of medical risk.