1. A nonmetallic element belonging to the halogens; used especially in medicine and photography and in dyes; and occurs naturally only in combination in small quantities (as in sea water or rocks).
2. A tincture consisting of a solution of iodine in ethyl alcohol; applied to wounds as an antiseptic.
3. Special information about iodine is located at Chemical Element: iodine.

Information is located at Chemical Element: iodine.

Iodine is a natural requirement of our diets. Iodine deficiency can lead to inadequate production of thyroid hormone from the thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).

In some parts of Zaire, Ecuador, India, and Chile, remote, mountainous areas; such as, in the Alps (in the past), Andes and the Himalayas have a particular predisposition for severe iodine deficiency, goiter, and hypothyroidism.

Since the addition of iodine to table salt, iodine deficiency is rarely seen in the United States.

Just as too little iodine can cause thyroid disease, so may prolonged intake of too much iodine lead to the development of goiter (swelling of the thyroid gland) and hypothyroidism (abnormally low thyroid activity).

Certain foods and medications contain large amounts of iodine. Examples include seaweed; iodine-rich expectorants (such as SSKI and Lugol's solution) used in the treatment of cough, asthma, chronic pulmonary disease; and amiodarone (CARDORONE), an iodine-rich medication used in the control of abnormal heart rhythms (cardiac arrhythmias).