Effect of iodine prophylaxis during pregnancy on neurocognitive development of children during the first two years of life

CONTEXT

The association between thyroid function during pregnancy and the later mental and psychomotor development of the child is supported by numerous experimental, clinical, and epidemiological studies.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to evaluate the psychological development of infants aged 3 to 18 months whose mothers had received 300 microg of potassium iodide during the first trimester of their pregnancy and compare with infants whose mothers had received no iodine supplements.

DESIGN AND STUDY SUBJECTS

The study included 133 women who had received 300 microg of potassium iodine and 61 women who had received no iodine supplements.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The neuropsychological status of the children was evaluated with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, and measurements were made of TSH, free T(3), free T(4), and urinary iodine.

RESULTS

Those children whose mothers had received an iodine supplement of 300 microg had a more favorable psychometric assessment than those of the other group of mothers. They had higher scores on the Psychomotor Development Index (P = 0.02) and the Behavior Rating Scale.

CONCLUSIONS

Dietary iodine supplements not only have no harmful effect on the neurodevelopment of the children, they may even be beneficial. Given the possible presence of confounding variables not controlled for in this study, these findings should be considered as preliminary.

Hormonal and psychological treatment: therapeutic alternative for menopausal women?

The purpose of this study was to determine whether psychological support associated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was more beneficial than replacement therapy alone. Our findings showed that HRT alone was more effective against vasomotor symptoms than HRT with psychological treatment (PT). While the combination of both treatment modalities (HRT + PT) was more effective against insomnia, nervousness, melancholy, fatigue, palpitations, and vertigo. Hormonal treatment alone and HRT with psychological treatment had little effect against paresthesia or tingling. Neither HRT alone nor HRT with psychological treatment was effective against joint and muscle pain or headache.