Assessment of the iodine status in children aged 2-3 years.

In 22 healthy toddlers (age: 2.5 +/- 0.06 years; from families living in Dortmund, FRG) measurements of iodine and creatinine concentrations were carried out in spontaneous urine samples collected in the afternoon (U1), as well as during the night (U2). Median iodine-creatinine ratios found in the "afternoon specimens" U1 were significantly elevated (p < 0.05) compared to U2 (181.3 vs. 119.5 micrograms/g). Higher values in U1 than in U2 were also obtained when total daily iodine excretion (under the assumption of an average creatinine excretion of 15 mg/kg/d for infants) was calculated and the corresponding data were related to body surface area (BSA). The results of the specimens collected during the night were (after expressing as iodine-creatinine ratio as well as after correcting for BSA) comparable with the excretion data of accurately timed 24-h urine collections obtained in a separate group of toddlers (n = 23) of nearly the same age. When the iodine-creatinine ratios established by the WHO--after standardizing with BSA--were taken as criteria for iodine deficiency, then in both study groups (spontaneous urine samples at night (U2) and timed 24-h urine collections) about half of the infants would fall in the deficiency state II with an elevated risk for iodine-deficiency goiter. It is suggested that the nutritional status of iodine can be reliably monitored (in infants) by determining iodine and creatinine concentrations in overnight urine samples and relating the data to BSA.