The adverse effects of iodine deficiency (ID) intellectual impairment, damaged reproduction, goiter and hypo- and hyperthyroidism are well known and easily corrected with salt iodization, but they continue to impair health and socioeconomic development, with more than two billion people at risk worldwide. During the major global expansion of salt iodization over the past four decades, much of Europe has remained iodine deficient. Although every European country endorsed the goal of eliminating iodine deficiency at the 1992 World Health Assembly, control of iodine deficiency has received low priority in much of Europe. However, there has been recent progress in the region and the number of children with low iodine intakes has decreased by ca. 30% since 2003. This paper presents an estimate of the prevalence of iodine deficiency in Europe in 2010, based on a systematic review to update the WHO Vitamin and Mineral Nutrition Information System (VMNIS) database.
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