Iodine concentration in urine is the direct quantity indicator of the current consumption of iodine in the population. The most widespread method of determination of iodine in urine is cerium-arsenic method with preliminary processing samples of urine using the solution ammonium persulfate. The purpose of work was to develop updating of the given method for reduction of the formation of toxic products of the reaction. Described method has good characteristics (the limit of the detection of this method 11 ug/l, CV < 10 %, the coefficient of the correlation with reference method 0.99), the amount of toxic substances formed during reaction decreases in 3 times, the cost price of research is reduced owing to reduction of the volume of reagents and water.

To indicate iodine intake and the prevalence of thyroid disease in the iodine-deficient area we perform complex investigation of 2332 children and teenagers in 23 settlements of Sverdlovsk region. Studying population consisted of1153 7—8 years old children (599 girls and 554 boys) and 1179 14—15 years old teenagers (637 girls and 542 boys). Study protocol includes thyroid ultrasound for all children and urinary iodine excretion for younger group and, serum TSH, AT-TG and AT-TPO in older group. The incidence of diffuse goiter was 22.8% and median of urinary iodine excretion was 53 μg/l. We found that Sverdlovsk region is a mild iodine-deficient area. The incidence of significant thyroid diseases is relatively low (thyroid cancer, functional autonomy and overt hypothyroidism — in 0.04%, nodular goiter — 0.26%, autoimmune thyroiditis with subclinical hypothyroidism — 0.6%). There is no significant difference in the prevalence of thyroid disease among children and teenagers. We found that thyroid ultrasound is not a reasonable screening strategy for thyroid cancer and nodular goiter in pediatric population of the iodine-deficient region. We consider that the most reasonable screening strategy is the palpation technique.

The issue of this study was the investigation of the frequency of the thyroid functional disorders after administration of the iodine-containing contrast media in patients located in iodine deficient region. 146 patients were examined, before and after the coronary angiography. Initially, the high frequency of the thyroid pathology was discovered (39%). The thyroid functional state and the urinary iodine excretion were estimated before and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after the study. During 1 month after the coronary angiography several cases of thyrotoxicosis and hypothyroidism relapse were fixed, and also the deterioration of the course of the already present thyroid functional disorders was registered. The patients with the initial pathology and the thyroid functional disorders should be included into the risk group by the development of the iodine induced thyroid dysfunction.