Assessment of elemental imbalance in women from a goiter-endemic region

BACKGROUND: The presence of a persistent goiter endemic in the northern region of Russian Federation (Magadan) highlights the significance of this study. Endemic goiter is considered a manifestation of regional biogeochemical maladaptation, where the primary role in thyroid hyperplasia development is attributed to environmental goitrogens and macro- and microelement imbalances. AIM: To evaluate elemental imbalance using an integral indicator, which is the adaptation coefficient of the body’s elemental system, in young women at peak reproductive age, depending on their serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The concentrations of 25 macro- and microelements in hair samples were determined using a spectrometric method. Serum TSH levels were measured using an immunochemiluminescent method with paramagnetic particles. RESULTS: The pattern of elemental imbalance in women with low-normal or high-normal TSH levels is similar in terms of elemental deficiencies. However, the total deficiency rate differed significantly, reaching 323% in the low-normal TSH group and 203% in the high-normal TSH group. Elemental excesses were rare and primarily found in the high-normal TSH group. CONCLUSION: The obtained data highlight the adaptation coefficient of the body’s elemental system as an informative marker of intra- and intersystem elemental shifts in assessing various functional states and risks. In the low-normal TSH group, this coefficient was 86.50 conventional units, slightly exceeding the value observed in the high-normal TSH group — 75.33 conventional units.