Abstract

IODINE STATUS OF FEMALE STUDENTS IN UNIVERSITY OF MAIDUGURI BORNO STATE

Background: Urinary iodine concentration is a sensitive marker of current iodine intake and can reflect recent changes in iodine status. Although an individual urinary iodine concentration varies daily, or even within the same day, however, these variations tend to even out within populations and provide a useful measure of the iodine status of populations. Objective: This study intends to estimate the urinary iodine status of female students in this environment as a pilot study. Methods: This study investigated the random urinary iodine concentration of 158 female students’ in University of Maiduguri between the ages of 20-41 years. The random urinary iodine concentration was estimated using the Sandell-Kolthoff method. Results: The median urinary concentration of this study is 95μg/L and the Mean Urinary Iodine Concentration of 101.42μg/L ±29.01 also the mean age of the female students was 21±0.06. Following the WHO/UNICEF/ICCIDD recommendations, this study revealed that 4.43% (7) had moderate iodine deficiency, 46.84% (74) had mild iodine deficiency, and 48.73% (77) was in iodine sufficient group. Conclusion: This study showed a median Urinary Iodine Concentration that is mildly deficient, hence the need for more awareness on the importance of consumption of iodine in this environment. This is a pilot study, more research is necessary to establish the iodine status of this environment.

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