Unipi Team Leader: Prof. Paolo Vitti, Dip. Di Scienze di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale
Currently Europe has no harmonised approach to ensure iodine intake of European citizens is sufficient to prevent health problems. EUthyroid is an EU-funded research project to evaluate current national efforts aimed at preventing iodine deficiency disorders. We aim to provide evidence for a cost effective harmonised approach to iodine prevention in Europe.
Iodine deficiency is the world’s leading cause of preventable brain damage and for years the World Health Organization has warned that Europeans are increasingly affected by the consequences of iodine deficiency. In fact, iodine deficiency is the most important risk factor for thyroid disease in adults and children. While goitre as a result of iodine deficiency is widely known, it is less acknowledged that thyroid hormones regulate the development of important organs. Therefore, it is advised that pregnant and nursing women should ensure sufficient iodine intake for optimal development of the child. Even a slight iodine deficiency during pregnancy can lead to impaired brain development and thus affect intelligence.
EUthyroid is the first pan-European initiative to take on the challenge of investigating the iodine intake of the European population. This should provide the basis to develop appropriate measures for harmonising and improving the iodine intake in Europe in cooperation with national authorities.
Coordinator
UNIVERSITY MEDICINE GREIFSWALD (Germany)
Other participants
- THE QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY OF BELFAST (United Kingdom)
- UNIVERSITY OF SURREY (United Kingdom)
- ERASMUS MEDICAL CENTRE (The Netherlands)
- NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NUTRITION AND SEAFOOD RESEARCH (Norway)
- NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE (Finland)
- Landspitali University Hospital (Iceland)
- UPPSALA UNIVERSITY (Sweden)
- RESEARCH CENTRE FOR PREVENTION AND HEALTH (Denmark)
- ENDOCRINOLOGY CENTRE (Estonia)
- UNIVERSITY OF LATVIA (Latvia)
- UNIVERSITÉ LIBRE DE BRUXELLES (Belgium)
- TOULOUSE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL (France)
- CENTRE FOR RESEARCH IN ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY (Spain)
- ARMED FORCE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL (Portugal)
- SWISS FEDERAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY OF ZURICH (Switzerland)
- RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF ORGANIC AGRICULTURE (Switzerland)
- BIOLUTION GMBH (Austria)
- UNIVERSITY FOR HEALTH, SCIENCES, MEDICAL INFORMATICS AND TECHNOLOGY (Austria)
- UNIVERSITY OF DEBRECEN (Hungary)
- INSTITUTE OF ENDOCRINOLOGY (Czech Republic)
- JAGIELLONIAN UNIVERSITY (Poland)
- UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL CENTER (Croatia)
- UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTRE LJUBLJANA (Slovenia)
- SOFIA UNIVERSITY (Bulgaria)
- CENTRE FOR REGIONAL POLICY RESEARCH AND COOPERATION STUDIORUM (Republic of Macedonia)
- UNIVERSITY OF PATRAS (Greece)
- THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM (Israel)
Start date 01/06/2015
End date 31/05/2018
Duration 36 months
Project cost 3.375.330 €
Project funding 2.999.949 €
Unipi quota 11.270 €
Call title H2020-PHC-2014-two-stage
Unipi role Partner
Project website: http://www.euthyroid.eu/