Definition and Characteristics
Iodine is an essential trace element for humans. It is part of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4 which influence growth, development, energy metabolism, and thermoregulation as well as many metabolic reactions.
Prevalence
Less than 2% of the German population had an adequate iodine intake in 1996 and 30–50% of German adults had an increased thyroid volume. More recently, German children seem almost adequately supplied with iodine due to increasing use of iodinated salt in households, commercial food, and bakery products [1,2].
Molecular and Systemic Pathophysiology
Homeostasis: Iodine is well absorbed in the small intestine. Its status, thus, depends on iodine intake (WHO recommendation: 20 μg I/kg body weight), which is high in populations with ample sea-fish and seafood consumption, e.g., in Japan. Iodine accumulates in the thyroid gland. This is due to Na/K-ATPase-driven active transport via a specific Na/I symporter (NIS) in the basolateral plasma...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Delange F (2002) Iodine deficiency in Europe and its consequences: an update. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 29(Suppl 2):S404–S416
Kahaly GJ, Dietlein M (2002) Cost estimation of thyroid disorders in Germany. Thyroid 12(10):909–914
Remer T, Neubert A, Manz F (1999) Increased risk of iodine deficiency with vegetarian nutrition. Br J Nutr 81(1):45–49
Yen PM (2001) Physiological and molecular basis of thyroid hormone action. Physiol Rev 81(3):1097–1142
Delange F (2001) Iodine deficiency as a cause of brain damage. Postgrad Med J 77(906):217–220
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 Springer-Verlag GmbH Berlin Heidelberg
About this entry
Cite this entry
Schümann, K., Köhrle, J. (2009). Iodine-related Disease States. In: Lang, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Molecular Mechanisms of Disease. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-29676-8_972
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-29676-8_972
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-67136-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-29676-8
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences