(introduction...)

The causes, prevention and cure of goitre and cretinism, now included in the more general term iodine deficiency disorders (IDD), have been known for more than half a century; yet their total eradication remains an elusive goal. They have been discussed at international meetings such as the World Food Conference in 1974 and the International Nutrition Congress (Rio de Janeiro, 1978) for more than a decade, and were the subject of a detailed series of recommendations at the Fourth Asian Congress of Nutrition held in Bangkok in 1983.

Until recently the problem of iodine deficiency has been seen essentially as goitre. This no longer adequately reflects present knowledge on the subject. We now know that iodine deficiency causes a spectrum of effects on growth and development, particularly brain development in the foetus, neonate and child, justifying a much higher priority now for its prevention and control than in the past. Apart from diminishing the toll in human misery, the prevention of IDD would mean improved educability of children, greater productivity, and better quality of life for many millions living in the iodine-deficient regions of the world. It is now clear that iodine deficiency is a major impediment to human development.