Iodine is a nonmetallic element,
which is essential in the human diet for the correct functioning of the thyroid
gland.
Lack of iodine in the diet leads to
the formation of a goiter and hypothyroidism.
Iodine uses in medicine
Iodine salts may sometimes be given
in the early treatment of hyperthyroidism, excessive activity of the thyroid
gland.
Iodine dissolved in an alcoholic
solution or combined with povidone (povidone-iodine) is used as an antiseptic
skin preparation before surgical operations or to clean wounds.
Iodine preparations are also used as
diagnostic aids in special X rays, such as cholecystogram (of the gall
bladder), intravenous pyelogram (of the kidney), and arteriogram (of an
artery).
Radioactive iodine is used in the
diagnosis of thyroid gland disease, as well as in investigations of liver,
lung, and kidney disorders.
The preparation loses half its
radioactivity within eight days. In larger doses, it may also be used in the
treatment of hyperthyroidism and cancer of the thyroid gland.
