Endocrine Abstracts

Since the 1990’s, eight survey studies have demonstrated iodine deficiency during pregnancy across the UK and Ireland. Both countries lack an iodine fortification programme, unlike many European countries. Therefore, women must rely on dietary adjustments and supplementation to achieve the iodine intake required in pregnancy. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends an increase from 150 to 250 µg/day during pregnancy. Pregnant women in Belfast were recruited to...

Northern Ireland was one of the first participating sites for the UK screening programme for congenital hypothyroidism (CHT) started 40 years ago. This study aimed to explore any changing patterns in incidence over time. Enrolment in the programme has remained high throughout the 40 years (> 98%). The cut-off value for neonatal thyroid stimulating hormone (nTSH) on day 5-8 of life reduced in ~1995 from 10 mU/l to 8 mU/l to improve sensitivity and specificity. There was a s...

Anonymised therapeutic data has been available for all patients in NI across 364 general practices since 2008. The database records age, gender, trusts and postcodes, which allows for spatial deprivation analyses. Patients were categorised in deciles (1-most deprived, 10-least) according to published criteria. We examined carbimazole (CBZ) and propylthiouracil (PTU) prescriptions over 10 years (2010 to 2019). Patients treated definitively with surgery/radioiodine are invariabl...

Background: A re-emergence of mild iodine deficiency in the United Kingdom (UK) has been reported. A recent UK study suggested a dose dependent relationship between mild maternal deficiency and a number of childhood cognitive scores. The World Health Organisation defines sufficiency in a population as a median urinary iodine concentration (UIC) of ≥100 μg/l in non-pregnant women and infants and ≥150 μg/l during pregnancy. It also recommends a daily intake...

Iodine deficiency is the most common cause of preventable mental impairment worldwide. Recent evidence suggests the re-emergence of mild iodine deficiency in the UK. A recent multicentre survey in the UK reported that 68% of school girls were iodine deficient with the lowest levels seen in Northern Ireland (NI). Unlike many countries, the UK does not have a salt or food iodination program. World Health Organisation defines deficiency as follows: mild 50–99 μg/l; mode...

Adequate iodine intake during pregnancy is required for the production of thyroid hormones and brain development in the foetus. Recent evidence has suggested re-emergence of mild iodine deficiency in the UK but there are few studies that have specifically looked at iodine intake in pregnant women. Current World Health Organisation recommendation is for 250 mcg/day intake of iodine in pregnancy and the following are good sources of dietary iodine: 1 pint milk (~140–220 mcg...

Adequate iodine intake during pregnancy is required for the production of thyroid hormones and brain development in the foetus. Recent evidence has suggested re-emergence of mild iodine deficiency in the UK but there are few studies that have specifically looked at iodine intake in pregnant women. Current World Health Organisation recommendation is for 250 μg per day intake of iodine in pregnancy and the following are good sources of dietary iodine: 1 pint milk (~140&#150...

Iodine deficiency is the most common cause of preventable mental impairment worldwide. Recent evidence suggests the re-emergence of mild iodine deficiency in the UK possibly due to changing farming practice. A recent multicentre survey in the UK reported that 68% of school girls were iodine deficient with the lowest levels seen in Northern Ireland (NI). Unlike many countries, the UK does not have a salt or food iodination programme. A cross-sectional survey of 264 schoolgirls,...

Observational studies suggest reduced vitamin D levels are associated with an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus. We examined the relationship with insulin resistance (assessed using a two-step euglycaemic hyperinsulinaemic clamp technique) in 92 overweight, non-diabetic individuals with no history of cardiovascular disease - mean age 56 years (range 40–77 years), 64% males, 36% females, BMI 30.9 kg/m2 (range 26.4–36.9 kg/m2), fasti...

Introduction: Recently low circulating levels of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) have been shown to be a strong predictor of the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Genetic studies suggest that this may be a primary causal abnormality and the mechanism may relate to effects on insulin resistance.Methods: Insulin resistance was assessed using a two-step euglycaemic hyperinsulinaemic clamp (EHC) in 87 (59 male and 28 post-menopausal female) overweight ...