PRELIMINARY REPORT OF AN EXPERIMENT IN THE KANGRA VALLEY FOR THE PREVENTION OF HIMALAYAN ENDEMIC GOITRE WITH IODIZED SALT

Abstract

This report incorporates the results of an investigation designed to test the effectiveness of potassium iodide and potassium iodate in the control of Himalayan endemic goitre when these compounds are added in small physiological doses to the domestic salt habitually consumed by the people in the endemic belt. In a prospective study lasting five years, a striking reduction in the prevalence of goitre was observed in areas receiving salt fortified with either potassium iodide or potassium iodate. During the same period, goitre prevalence remained unchanged in the control zone, which received plain, unfortified salt. The study has an important bearing on the problem of goitre control in developing countries that use moist, coarsely crystalline salt.