Objective: Evaluate whether the increase of iodine in the diet would be the triggering factor for auto-immune thyropathies in the city of Santo André, SP.
Methods: Urinary iodine was determined in samples isolated from 58 patients, divided in 4 Groups, and in 13 normal individuals (controls).
Results: Urinary Iodine: Group 1--hyperthyroidism = 203.5+/-152.71 microg/ L(mean+/-sd); Group 2--hypothyroidism = 258.31+/-148,2 microg/L; Group 3--chronic auto-immune thyroiditis = 244.29+/-191.6 microg/L; Group 4--(Amiodarone) = 1157.5+/-261.8 microg/L; Group 5--Controls = 262.31+/-146.2 microg/L. On comparing the means of urinary iodine among the groups, the means for groups 1, 2, 3, and 5 did not present significant differences (p>0.05), and all differed from group 4 (p<0.05). Urinary iodine obtained in groups 1, 2, 3 and 5, obtained in 2002-03, is not different from the values determined in students in 1994 in Santo André.
Conclusion: This study shows evidence that iodine should not be considered as the responsible agent for auto-immune thyropathies in Santo André, and other environmental factors should be investigated.