Endemic cretinism is the extreme expression of
the abnormalities in physical and intellectual development
caused by iodine deficiency, but the cognitive
deficits associated with iodine deficiency may not
be limited to remote, severely iodine-deficient
areas. Many authors have argued that even mild-tomoderate
iodine deficiency in pregnancy, still
present in many industrialized countries, may affect
cognitive function of the offspring. The controlled
trials of iodine treatment in mild-to-moderately
iodine-deficient pregnant women discussed below
did not report data on infant or child development.
However, several reported measures that might be
surrogate markers of future infant development,
including maternal and newborn thyroid function.