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140.116.90.9 07:23, 31 Jan 2005 (UTC)it seems someone (69.155.13.227) has sabotaged the page, restored it to older version. --

[edit] Betadine?

From the article: "Tincture of iodine is recently available as a solution of complex of iodine with polyvinylpyrrolidone. This mixture is known under trade name Betadine."

I'll work on this when I have time. Maybe it would be best to link to Betadine in a 'see also' section so that the information is not completely removed from this article.
Zaui 22:00, 21 December 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Iodine Deficiency Disorders

Removal of a dubious paragraph from the main page and paste hereafter:

It can also be used to detect and treat iodine deficiency which can lead to hypothyroidism^[1].

[1]

This hyperlink leads to the following text (copy and paste from the page):

More than a billion persons are at risk for this noninfectious condition, which is the leading preventable cause of intellectual impairment in the world (33). The number of persons affected is unknown, but prevalences of the most severe form, cretinism, often reach 3%-15% in areas where the disease is highly endemic. Goiter and hypothyroidism are other manifestations of the deficiency. The main risk factor involved is exclusive or nearly exclusive consumption of locally grown foods in areas where the soil is deficient in iodine.

Interventions include adding iodine to salt, tea, fish paste, or bread, at a cost of US $0.02-0.04 per person per year for iodized salt. Iodized oil is available in injectable or oral forms. Interventions for iodine deficiency can also be combined readily with interventions for vitamin A and/or iron deficiency. A new assay is available to measure levels of thyroid hormone in samples of blood from a fingerstick. Methods such as iodized salt were used to eliminate iodine deficiency disorders more than 40 years ago in Australia, England, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United States. Bolivia and Ecuador have almost eliminated the condition. WHO has endorsed a goal of elimination of iodine deficiency disorder by the year 2000. There is great need for improved surveillance and estimates of the prevalence of these disorders and of their economic impact. Iodine deficiency disorders can be eliminated.

Shinkolobwe (talk) 17:12, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Comment

The reference text given here above does not mentioned what is claimed in the dubious paragraph.

Personally, I do not immediately see how iodine tincture can be used to detect and treat iodine deficiency.

So, I am highly skeptic on the suggested treatment. Thus, I removed the paragraph to avoid any health risk if any incompetent person would use it in an unreasonable way.

Shinkolobwe (talk) 17:12, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

And properly so! Tincture of iodine contains elemental iodine, which is mildly poisonous, and is the wrong thing for iodine deficiency (which is best treated with iodine salts). Iodine deficiency has no place in discussions of elemental iodine and tincture of iodine, which are useful only for their antiseptic properties, not because they contain iodine itself. SBHarris 03:43, 9 July 2008 (UTC)