Intervention policy in endemic goitre areas.

Abstract

The multifactorial nature and complex interactions of regionspecific environmental conditions with host factors in the pathogenesis of endemic goitre constitute a major challenge to the understanding and control of the problem in endemic areas. However, to control and prevent this important public health problem, the most obvious but difficult initial step requires substantial socioeconomic improvements in the affected areas of less developed countries, including, first, provision of efficient iodine prophylaxis programs, second, diversification of dietary constituents with adequate daily protein-calorie intake, and third, institution of proper sanitary conditions with effective water treatment to eliminate organic and bacterial pollutants. This last intervention is also a requirement to control and prevent goitre in the iodine-sufficient more developed countries. In this regard, more research is needed to provide effective ways of water treatment that can be applied in individual households or at the community level.