Zipporah Bukania
Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kenya
Title: The relationship between blood pressure, body iron stores and urinary iodine in healthy women of reproductive age in rural Eastern Kenya
Biography
Biography: Zipporah Bukania
Abstract
Introduction: Iodine and iron deficiencies are major overlapping public health issues in developing countries including Kenya, now confounded by an increase in non-communicable conditions related to the common diet such as high blood pressure (HBP), sugar and cholesterol levels. Objective: To determine the relationship between blood pressure, body iron stores and urinary iodine concentrations in free living women of Eastern Kenya. Methods: Using multistage sampling, 174 women (15-49years) consented to participate. Two Blood Pressure (BP) measurements were taken by a calibrated Digital BP machine on the right arm, 5 minutes before and after rest between measurements. Body iron stores were estimated by serum ferritin after correcting for inflammation while Urinary Iodine Concentration (UIC) was measured by alkaline ashing and spectrophotometry of the Sandell–Kolthoff reaction. Results: Mean age and BMI were 35.4±7.5yrs and 24.2±4.5kg/m2 respectively. SystolicBP (124.8±13.8) and diastolicBP (77.3±9.3), were within normal WHO classification range. Median UIC (521.9ug/L:IQR[259.96-827.30] was exceptionally high (UIC >500ug/L) posing elevated risk of thyroid dysfunction, while median ferritin levels were 45.2ug/L:IQR[17.04-62.24] showing a population with adequate iron stores. Low iodine status and iron deficiency were present in 7.2% and 19.3% of the women respectively. HBP was observed in >50% women with excess iodine intakes and iron stores. In multi-variate analyses, BP was significantly (p<0.05) associated with serum ferritin but not UIC. Conclusion: BP is related to body iron stores but, despite potential risk of thyroid hormone perturbation from excessive iodine intakes, BP does not seem related to iodine intake in healthy women of this study.