208 why children lose their hearing and what we can do
Lack of iodine in the diet during pregnancy
Iodine is a mineral found in the soil and water — and in foods like liver,
onions, egg yolks, seafood, and plants from the ocean. When a pregnant
woman does not get enough iodine, her baby may be born mentally
slow, or have serious problems including deafness. In some
places in the world, the soil contains very little natural iodine
so vegetables and crops that grow in the soil also contain
little iodine. In these places, swelling of the thyroid gland
in the neck is common. This is called goiter. If many
people in your community have this swelling, then
goiter
everyone needs more iodine.
A child with iodine deficiency may be mentally slow, deaf, unable to
speak, and have weak neck and leg muscles. Many children only suffer
hearing loss, some weakness in the legs, and are slow to
learn. But others may have noses with a flat wide base,
squinting eyes, hair low on the forehead, puffy eyelids and
face, and have physical problems such as growing slowly
and being short.
Treatment:
Get medical advice as soon as you can. A medicine called thyroxine, if
started in the first months of life, may help a child with iodine deficiency
grow better, though it will not help a child hear better.
The whole community, including the affected child, needs iodine
supplements, but this will not help any nerve or brain damage that has
already occurred.
Prevention:
Goiter and iodine deficiency are easy and cheap to
prevent. Women must get iodine before becoming
pregnant. Taking iodine after the first few weeks
of pregnancy is too late.
• The easiest way to get enough iodine is to use
iodized salt instead of natural or rock salt.
You can find packaged iodized salt in most
places.
• Iodized oil taken by mouth is available in
some countries. You need to take only 1 dose
every 1 to 5 years.
Foods from the ocean, as
well as liver, egg yolks,
and onions, can be good
sources of iodine.
• If iodized salt or iodine-rich foods are hard to get,
you can make an iodine solution at home with Lugol’s iodine. This is
an antiseptic that is often available where medicines are sold.
Helping Children Who Are Deaf (2004)