KARACHI, Nov 3: Iodine deficiency disorders which constitute the greatest worldwide cause of preventable brain damage in the foetus and infants are highly prevalent in South Asian Countries, including Pakistan.

According to WHO estimates, out of 1.75 million people who live in iodine-deficiency environment, 665 million actually suffer from goitre and almost half of the problem is found in Asia.

In Pakistan, the problem is particularly acute in northern parts of the country, with goitre rates in schoolchildren and women are as high as 80 to 90 per cent.

A survey conducted in Islamabad found a 40 per cent goitre rate among schoolchildren and a 50 per cent among adult women living outside Islamabad.

In the country’s population, cretinism prevalence is reported at nearly three per cent which reaches as high as 12 per cent in parts of Baltistan. It is believed that some 50 million people (37 per cent of the population) are clinically or sub-clinically affected with iodine deficiency in Pakistan.

Problems are mainly augmented by the fact that although iodine deficiency may not be visible, at times it may be significantly lowering the metabolic activity of a large proportion of the people.

Till 1995, 83 countries, including Pakistan had national salt-iodization programmes.—PPI