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U.S. Department of Energy
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STUDIES IN ENDEMIC GOITER WITH RADIOACTIVE IODINE

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:4291587

Results froxn studies with radioiodine show that goitrous patients exhibit a decreased urinary excretion of iodine, low salivary radioactivity, increased thyroid clearance with normal urinary clearance, and increased protein- bound I/sup 131/ and conversion ratio. All of these results are analogous to those found in hyperthyroidal states. On the other hand the test of triiodothyronine fixation on erythrocytes was found to be significantiy low in endemic goiter, below the normal level found in non-endemic areas, and within myxedematous levels. The changes with tests involving radiioactive iodine support the hypothesis of iodine lack as a primary etiological factor in endemic goiter. There was no significant difference between goitrous and non-goitrous groups with respect to I/sup 131/ thyroid uptake. However, in areas where goiter was less prevalent, the uptake in goitrous patients was higher than that of the nongoitrous living in the same area, though such difference could have been attributable to geometry since a study of the urinary excretion in this area revealed no significant difference between the two groups. This finding might suggest that iodine lack is not the only factor in the production of goiter. In general, however, there was a rough correlation between incidence of goiter in a population and average thyroid uptake. (auth)

Research Organization:
Inst. de Investigaciones Medicas Fundacion Luis Roche, Caracas
NSA Number:
NSA-13-006322
OSTI ID:
4291587
Report Number(s):
A/CONF.15/P/2330
Country of Publication:
Country unknown/Code not available
Language:
English