Endemic Goitre in the Darfur Region (Sudan)

Abstract

In the Darfur region of Sudan, 85.5% of 4134 subjects examined, mainly school children, had goitre and in 23.9% the goitre was large (stage II or III). The prevalence of goitre was high in prepubertal children of both sexes and in adult females. There was a higher frequency of large goitre in the rural than in the urban areas (40.9 nad 11.4%, respectively). In Port Sudan on the Red Sea Coast the goitre rate was 13.5% among 7697 schoolchildren, but here visible goitre was extremely rare. Of the subjects from Darfur, 54.5% excreted less than 50 μg of iodine/g creatinine, while all except one subject in Port Sudan excreted mote than that. the median urinary excretion of iodine was 45.6μg/g in subjects from Darfur and 171.2 in those from Port Sudan, the mean value being significantly lower in the former than in the latter (p<0.001). The iodine content of all water samples was very low, nad the contents of calcium nad fluoride were not high. Ohter goitrogenic facotrs cound not be excluded. However, iodine dificiency is the major cause of goitre in the Darfur region nad a prophylactic programme is urgently needed.