Browsing by Author "Jooste, P. L."

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    Endemic goitre in a rural community of KwaZulu-Natal
    (Health & Medical Publishing Group, 1997) Benade, J. G.; Oelofse, A.; Van Stuijvenberg, M. E.; Jooste, P. L.; Weight, M. J.; Benade, A. J. S.
    Objective. To quantify the prevalence of goitre and iodine deficiency. Setting. Ndunakazi, a rural community of approximately 8 000 people in KwaZulu-Natal. Design. A cross-sectional community-based survey and a school-based survey. Participants. The 127 mothers and 114 children aged 6 -11 years, selected during the cross-sectional survey, and 304 children aged 6 -14 years, from the school-based survey. Methods. Urinary iodine levels and thyroid size were determined and categorised according to guidelines proposed jointly by the WHO, UNICEF and the ICCIDD. Z-score anthropometric indicators were calculated, and mid-year exam marks of goitrous and non-goitrous pupils for Zulu and mathematics were compared. Results. In school-aged children, both surveys demonstrated a goitre prevalence in the 20 - 29.9% range and a median urinary iodine level in the 2 - 4.9 ug/dl range, indicating iodine deficiency of moderate severity. Goitrous subjects scored consistently worse in their Zulu exam papers than those without goitre. Stunting was not more prevalent than in the rest of KwaZulu-Natal. Iodised salt was not available in any of the three community shops. Conclusion. This level of iodine deficiency in children can adversely affect their neuropsycho-intellectual development. Factors contributing to deficient iodine intake in Ndunakazi are present in many rural areas, and South Africa cannot afford to be overly confident about the apparent absence of iodine deficiency as a public health problem.
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    Iodine status of pregnant women and children age 6 to 12 years feeding from the same food basket in Mopani district, Limpopo province, South Africa
    (MedPharm Publications, 2019-03-23) Mabasa, E.; Mabapa, N. S.; Jooste, P. L.; Mbhenyane, Xikombiso G.
    Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the iodine status of pregnant women and children age 6 to 12 years feeding from the same food basket in Mopani District. Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Setting: The setting was primary health care clinics and households from five municipalities of Mopani District in Limpopo province. Subjects: A total of 565 conveniently selected pregnant women and 116 children aged 6 to 12 years were recruited, of which 116 were mother–child pairs. Methods: The demographic information, iodine nutrition knowledge and salt consumption patterns were obtained using a validated questionnaire. Spot urine, household drinking water and salt samples were collected and analysed for iodine using standard procedures. A professional nurse, using filter paper to determine thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, collected spot finger-stick blood samples from pregnant women. Results: The findings showed that only 52.5% of household salt had an iodine concentration level of more than and equal to 15 ppm. The median iodine concentration of household drinking water was 46.2 μg/l (interquartile range [IQR] 10.8–73.4 μg/l). The TSH levels of the majority of pregnant women were normal and the maternal overall median urinary iodine concentration (UIC) was 164 μg/l (IQR 92–291 μg/l), indicating maternal iodine sufficiency. However, median UIC in the first and third trimesters was below 150 μg/l, indicating iodine insufficiency. The UIC level of children in the study was 386 μg/l (IQR 200–525 μg/l), signifying iodine excess. Conclusion: Iodine status of pregnant women in this study was sufficient, with UIC for children excessively high, more than two times higher than the iodine status of pregnant women. The reasons for the excessive UIC in school-age children need to be elucidated.
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    Lack of a relationship between plasma pyridoxal phosphate levels and ischaemic heart disease
    (Health and Medical Publishing Group (HMPG), 1985-04) Rossouw, J. E.; Labadarios, D.; Jooste, P. L.; Shephard, G. S.
    The 'vitamin B6-homocysteine theory' has been proposed as an alternative to the widely accepted lipid hypothesis in the aetiology of ischaemic heart disease (IHD). In a cross-sectional study of 71 white men with evidence of IHD and 110 male controls (all aged 45-54 years) we have been unable to demonstrate any differences in plasma pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) levels between the groups. It is therefore unlikely that deficiency of vitamin B6 has a primary causal role in development of IHD. However, 31% of the overall study population had low plasma PLP levels, and the possibility that underlying vitamin B6 deficiency may facilitate the actions of the primary risk factors for IHD therefore cannot be excluded.