Abstract

The results of analyses of the mineral content of drinking water from three Indian villages with endemic fluorosis surveyed for the incidence of thyroid enlargement are reported.

With the possible exception of temporary thyroid enlargement encountered in pubertal subjects (type b), no relation was found between the incidence of endemic goiter and the fluorine in the water supply.

Excerpt:

With regard to the slight and temporary enlargement of the thyroid encountered in the age group 14-17 (type b), detailed scrutiny of the data . . . reveals that with a fall in mean fluorine content of the water from 10.7 mg/l in Kamaguda to 5.4 mg/l in Yellareddyguda, there was a corresponding progressive fall in the incidence of pubertal goiters from 40% in Kamaguda to 9% in Yellareddyguda, However, associated with the fall in fluorine content there was also a rise in mean iodine of the water. The figures can be interpreted to indicate that, so far as type b goiters are concerned, (1) fluorine may be actually goitrogenic, and (2) high concentrations of iodine may have a goiter-preventing effect. Investigations in other areas, where the variations in fluorine content are not associated with variations in iodine content of the type encountered here, may throw light on this particular problem.

Print PDF

• Related Studies :

  • Endemic goiter associated with high iodine intake in primary school children in the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic.

    The high prevalence of goiter in Saharan children visiting Asturias in the summer prompted us to study the problem in greater depth. Neck palpation was performed in a sample of 570 school children from the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic. Weight, height, T4, thyroid-stimulating hormone and anti-thyroperoxidase antibodies in capillary blood were

  • Prevalence and manifestations of water-born fluorosis among schoolchildren in Kaiwara village of India: a preliminary study

    Background: Fluorosis is an endemic condition with prevalence in 19 states and union territories in India. It is an urgent task to survey the fluorosis-related problems in these regions. Objective: To study the clinical manifestations of water-born fluorosis among schoolchildren in Kaiwara village of India. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in

  • Fluorine in the aetiology of endemic goitre

    MANY different factors leading to relative or absolute deficiency of iodine may cause changes in the thyroid gland. May (1935) found that the administration of fluorine to rats produced hypoplasia of the thyroid epithelium with altered staining reaction of the colloid. Having experimented with over 800 patients, he advocated internal

  • Excessive iodine intake, water chemicals and endemic goitre in a Sudanese coastal area

    OBJECTIVE: To study the associations between intakes of iodine and water chemicals and the thyroid gland status of schoolchildren living in the coastal city of Port Sudan. DESIGN: In our previous nationwide study on goitre, it was observed that the prevalence of goitre was high in Port Sudan city despite high

  • Fluorosis and iodine deficiency disorders in India.

    This review focuses on fluorosis and iodine deficiency disorders, two serious, highly prevalent metabolic disorders that are under-reported. These are caused by the two elements of the halogen family, fluorine and iodine. The former in excess and the latter in deficiency are the cause for concern. Excess fluoride (F–) consumption

• Related FAN Content :

  • Fluoride & Goiter

    Goitre (aka goiter) is an enlargement of the thyroid gland that in some cases can produce visible swelling in the neck. The main cause of goitre is iodine deficiency. Goitre can also be caused by other things, including hypothyroidism and substances that cause goitre (goitrogens). Since as far back as the

  • Fluorine in the Aetiology of Endemic Goitre

    The distribution of endemic goitre in the Punjab and in England is related to the geological distribution of fluorine and to the distribution of human dental fluorosis (mottled enamel). Inquiry showed the presence of dental fluorosis among school-children in two areas of Somerset where two previous observers had recorded a high incidence of goitre, and the absence of dental fluorosis in an adjoining area selected as control where endemic goitre was absent.

  • The Relationship Between Fluoride Exposure & Goitre in South Africa

    As a general rule simple goitre, irrespective of the cause, can be very, or fairly, satisfactorily combated by an adequate increase in man's daily iodine intake, except when the enlargement of the gland is due to the ingestion of excessive amounts of fluorine. The only correct solution to fluorine-induced endemic goitre is the removal of this element from the drinking water.

  • Fluoride, Water Hardness, and Endemic Goitre

    Variations in goitre prevalence were found to correlate closely with the fluoride content (p=0-74; P<0-01) and with the hardness (p=0.77; P<0-01) of the water in each village. The effects of fluoride and water hardness seem to be independent.

  • Is fluoride-induced hyperthyroidism a cause of psychosis among East African immigrants to Scandinavia?

    When people with a compensated fluoride-induced hypothyroidism move to a low-fluoride area, the fluoride-induced inhibition of the production of thyroid hormones ceases. In Scandinavia, the dietary intake of iodine is usually quite high due to iodized table salt and easy access to marine fish. Under these conditions, the elevated capacity for production of thyroid hormones may result in hyperthyroidism.