BACKGROUND: Currently, in Russia, which is a region with mild iodine deficiency (median urinary iodine concentration (mUIC) is <100 μg/l), there is no federal law on universal salt iodization and the voluntary nature of mass iodine prophylaxis has been established.

AIM: to assess the iodine status and the effectiveness of iodine deficiency prevention in adolescents aged 13–18 in Novosibirsk.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. The study included a representative sample of schoolchildren aged 13–18 years (637 people of both sexes, of whom 189 people filled out a questionnaire on the use of iodized salt, 154 of them had urine samples taken to determine the IOM). It was conducted among adolescents aged 13-18 years in Novosibirsk. Questionnaire, determination of IOM, comparison of the obtained data with the results of clinical and population studies conducted in Novosibirsk in 2009-2010, 2019.

RESULTS: According to the survey conducted in 2025, 7.4% of schoolchildren aged 13–18 years definitely know that they consume iodized salt. The MIC was 166 μg/l, the proportion of urine samples with MIC less than 50 μg/l was 5.2%. In 2010, 47% of the surveyed adolescents consumed iodized salt, the MIC was 93 μg/l, and MIC less than 50 μg/l was determined in 7% of samples. In 2019, 8% confirmed their consumption of iodized salt, the MIC was 123 μg/l, and MIC less than 50 μg/l was 14.5%.

CONCLUSIONS: Over a 15-year observation period, a significant improvement in iodine status of the adolescent population has been noted in Novosibirsk. Low awareness of iodine deficiency and measures to prevent it among the younger generation of Novosibirsk residents has been recorded.

The article comments on the possible cause for the discrepancy between low knowledge about the use of iodized salt in households and the optimal iodine status of schoolchildren in Novosibirsk, Russia, and discusses possible hidden sources of iodine in the diet.

Today, replacement therapy with sodium levothyroxine (L-T4) is the main method of treating hypothyroidism. Replacement therapy with tablet forms of L-T4 is simple, understandable and convenient. However, a significant proportion of patients are in a state of iatrogenic thyrotoxicosis or uncompensated hypothyroidism. The reasons for unsatisfactory compensation are both violations of the pill regimen, including missed doses, and lifestyle, comorbid conditions or drugs received by the patient that interfere with the selection of the optimal dose. Today, not only tablets are used in the world, but also other forms of L-T4, for example, an oral solution and gel capsules. In March 2024, a liquid levothyroxine drug was registered in Russia. In this article, we will consider the practical features of prescribing this drug and its differences from tablet forms.

In the summer of 2024, the next issue of The Thyroidologist magazine was published. In order to keep readers up to date with the latest research in the field of thyroidology, Luca Persani (editor-in-chief of the European Thyroid Journal) has selected several recent articles for publication in The Thyroidologist journal. These articles will be discussed in this publication.