The median serum iodine was 71 μg/L (95% CI: 44, 109).The median thyroglobulin was < 13 μg/L. values above this level indicate iodine deficiency in pregnant women.
Few studies have examined factors related to serum Tg in populations environmentally exposed to ionizing radiation and living in regions with endemic mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency.
Low iodine status (<150 μg/g) in pregnancy is associated with higher serum Tg, suggesting that the thyroid is hyperstimulated by iodine deficiency, which causes it to enlarge.
The data support the possibility that the TG accumulated in the follicular lumen of nontoxic goiters together with relative iodine deficiency contributes to increased MHC expression in thyroid cells in vivo and that increased MHC gene expression contributes to the ability of thyroid antigens to trigger an autoimmune reaction.