Abstract

Median urinary iodine concentrations of three hundred pregnant women in three major villages in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State, South-Eastern Nigeria were determined. This is to help determined whether iodine nutrition was sufficient or not in pregnant women. The analysis of iodine in urine was by spectrophotometric reaction in which specimens were manually digested with ammonium persulfate. The median urinary value of 58.67 µg/l obtained indicated that the pregnant women were mildly deficient by the WHO/ICCIDD/UNICEF scale. The minimum value of 27.67 µg/l and maximum value of 91.23 µg/l shows that iodine nutrition was not adequate in any of the women. There is need for iodine supplementation and regular monitoring of iodine in food and iodized salt in pregnant women.

Key words: Pregnant women, iodine, Nigeria, supplementation, iodized salt.