Editorial comments for the reprinted article by prof. M.B. Zimmerman “Salt iodization decreased the risk of thyrotoxicosis in Denmark by the halve”, doi: 10.14341/ket10379

The journal Clinical and Experimental Thyroidology published the reprint of the article “Salt iodization decreased the risk of thyrotoxicosis in Denmark by the halve” (doi: 10.14341/ket10379). This article for “De Gustibus” section was prepared by a guest author, Chairman of the Global Iodine Network and Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Michael Zimmerman. As soon as it was published in “Nature Review (Endocrinology)”, I asked Michael for the permission to translate this article into Russian and print it as soon as possible in our journal.

The information presented in the article “Salt iodization decreased the risk of thyrotoxicosis in Denmark by the halve” cannot be called quite sensational, but as they say, “a spoon is dear when lunch time is near”. Today, when the fate of the law on the prevention of diseases associated with iodine deficiency is being decided in government departments of Russia, more than ever, convincing evidence is needed for the effectiveness of salt iodization for all population groups, including, of course, adults.

An almost twofold decrease in the incidence of thyrotoxicosis in all age groups means a significant saving in healthcare costs for the treatment of a very large group of patients with (multi)nodular toxic goiter, toxic adenoma and Graves’s disease (diffuse toxic goiter). We are talking about very real savings of the health budget and, possibly, having statistics on the incidence of various forms of thyrotoxicosis, the Endocrinology Research Centre can provide government agencies with information on the benefits of salt iodization only for this pathology.

I think that such information is needed by statesmen who make decisions about the fate of a law in order to move the scales in favor of the mandatory iodization of salt.