Urinary iodide and chloride excretion in pregnant Nigerian women in Jos

Abstract

Aim And Objective- The aim of this study is to determine the status of iodide- a potential indicator of thyoid function in pregnant Nigerian women in Jos Plateau state Central Nigeria. Materials and Methods- Urinary iodide and chloride levels were measured by standard spectrophotometric methods (Bourdoux et al, 1985, Schales and Schales 1941) respectively in 75 pregnant women during the three stage of their pregnancy and these were compared with those of 20 non pregnant women match for age and used as controls. Result- The result obtained showed urinary iodide excretion (U.I.E)μg/dl was not significant during the first trimester (P>0.05) but significantly higher in the second and third trimesters (P<0.05 and P<0.00l) respectively compared to control and maximal during the third trimester. Urinary Chloride level show no significant difference (P> 0.05) throughout the three trimester between the test and control subjects. Conclusion- The result indicate that Jos metropolis which is the area under study may be said to be iodide sufficient and that there is no excess chloride to compete with iodide In circulation.

Key words- Urinary iodide, chloride, pregnancy, Nigerians.