Iodine Deficiency Lead To Impaired Physical, Mental Development : Paediatrician

Iodine deficiency lead to impaired physical, mental development : Paediatrician

Eminent paediatrician Dr Samreen Shaikh said that Iodine deficiency in children can lead to impaired physical and mental development, potentially causing issues like goiter, cognitive delays, and growth problems

HYDERABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Jan, 2025) Eminent paediatrician Dr Samreen Shaikh said that Iodine deficiency in children can lead to impaired physical and mental development, potentially causing issues like goiter, cognitive delays, and growth problems.

Talking to APP here on Monday, Dr. Samreen Shaikh said that at present 40 Percent women and 60 percent children were affected only in Sindh province due to iodine deficiency. Lack of awareness, wrong perceptions about iodine salt, non-implementation of laws and inadequate performances of concerned management on government and industrial side were the main reasons behind poor usage of iodine salt, she added.

She further informed the Iodine deficiency causes mental retardation, poor physical growth, deaf and dampness, short stature and goiter. Its mild state hampers social and education development of the children. It creates goiter and reduce child's movement due to energy deficiency.

For increasing the iodine level in body, she suggests to consume fish and other seafood, dairy products ,eggs ,as they are excellent natural sources of iodine.

In a question about using Iodine supplements she suggests to use in Under the guidance of a healthcare professional.

She said that all the salt producing factories, producing salt without iodine must be encouraged and made bound for producing salt with iodine. Besides the awareness about breast-feeding must be accelerated with a view to avoid deficiencies in the children and mothers, she added.

She said that the government has launched different multidimensional health projects for the betterment of the health of the people but keeping in view the low literacy rate in the country awareness at mass level was very much essential not only to motivate the people to avail the benefits and follow the guidelines but also to make these projects more success.

She said that iodine was one of the mineral chemicals, which is required for human development, intellectual development and smooth reproductive functioning in the human body.

She said that inadequate central, provincial management, lack of industrial compliance in quality control and unawareness about use of iodine salt have been identified as main.