History and Objectives: Iodine deficiency and disorders resulting from it, are of important health problems of the country. Due to the various reports of the status of Iodine deficiency in the country and no data about its status in Kashan and the importance of the vulnerable group of children and in order to define the prevalence of goiter in six to twelve year-old children in the mountainous areas of Kashan this research was performed in 1376.
Materials and Methods: A descriptive study was performed on 1400 children whom were randomly selected. The incidence of goiter was determined by physical examination based on the criteria of World Health Organizations. Sex-related prevalence of goiter was estimated with 95% confidence.
Results: Of the patients studied, 707 (50.5%) were male and 693 (49.5%) were female and 353 (25.2%) had goiter. The confidence interval was estimated to be 23 to 27.5% in the mountainous regions. The prevalence of goiter was 22.5 and 28% among boys and girls respectively. Varkan village with 45% goiter and Qamsar with 8% had the highest and the lowest prevalence of goiter respectively.
Conclusion: The goiter was endemic in the mountainous areas and considering the distribution of Iodine-supplemented salt among people, research for recognition of the cause or causes is strongly recommended.
Honarpisheh A, Razavizadeh R. Prevalence of Goiter in six to twelve year old children in the mountainous areas of Kashan in 1376 . Feyz Med Sci J 1999; 3 (3) :94-97 URL: http://feyz.kaums.ac.ir/article-1-502-en.html