Qualitative Determination of Urinary Iodine Concentration and Related Intelligence Quotient among High School Young Teenagers

Nutritional Essential Balance is a common trend in life. Iodine is not produced in the body and it is vital in maintaining good health, therefore it is needed to be consumed regularly. Essential iodine supplies are found in the ocean's bounty such as, sea salt, and fish. On land, iodine levels in the soil are great and are sufficiently maintained by plants such as cereals, vegetables. Several of the body functions rely upon iodine, including energy production, mental development, thyroid hormones production, reproductive glands support, and maintenance of the strong lymphatic system as well as cell growth regulation. Small amounts of iodine are found in the blood, nerves, and other organs of the body, but most of the body's iodine is present in the thyroid, breasts, ovaries, uterus, and prostate glands. The study was aimed to determine and evaluate the level of iodine concentration in the urine of school-age children, and its correlation to their intelligence quotient (IQ). The Titrimetric method was used in iodine urine concentration analysis. Urine (5 ml) was measured from a universal bottle and transferred to a beaker and 20 ml of water was added. After preparing the test mixture, it was titrated with 0.001M sodium thiosulphate using a burette, and at the endpoint colorless solution was obtained, this done for all the samples. From the results, the median urinary iodine levels were 117.7µg/L which is within the adequate iodine intake range (100-199 µg/L). This suggests that iodine was not deficient in any form amongst the school children. There may also be no risk of mental impairment and goiter development among these children if iodine concentration in urine is a risk factor. Therefore, checking the iodine nutrition of a population is vital and a good marker in the assessment of iodine deficiency-related disorders.