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Until 2000 Denmark was iodine deficient with moderate deficiency in the western part and mild deficiency in the eastern part. The occurrence of goitre and autonomous hyperthyroidism was high, and pregnancy was associated with a reduction in thyroid function. After cautious mandatory iodization of household salt and salt used for bread production, the iodine intake in Denmark is now low normal. The DanThyr monitoring has shown a transient increase in hyperthyroidism followed by a decrease, and goitre is becoming less common. Hypothyroidism has become more common, and this has to be followed.

Introduction: Abdominal obesity is associated with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dyslipidemia and hypertension. The prevalence of abdominal obesity and its relationship with these comorbidities have not previously been examined in Danish primary care patients., Material and Methods: The IDEA study was an international cross sectional study including 168,159 patients worldwide. In Denmark, 47 randomly selected general practitioners included 847 consecutive patients. Age, gender, waist circumference, body mass index (BMI) and the presence of known comorbidities were recorded for all patients., Results: The prevalence of abdominal obesity (waist circumference = 80 cm for women and = 94 cm for men) was 66% among women and 60% among men. There was a significant relationship between the degree of abdominal obesity and the prevalence of diabetes, dyslipidemia and hypertension for both sexes. There was a trend towards an increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease with increased waist circumference., Conclusion: Abdominal obesity is very frequently found in Danish primary care patients, and it is associated with an increased prevalence of diabetes, dyslipidemia and hypertension. Patients with increased waist circumference should be screened to diagnose comorbidities related to the abdominal obesity.

A 38 year-old male was admitted to hospital with somnolence, flaccid paralysis of the extremities, arterial hypertension, oedema, severe hypokalemia and rabdomyolysis. The course was complicated with respiratory and kidney failure. It became apparent that the symptoms were caused by the ingestion of 200 g of licorice daily for ten weeks together with a thiazide diuretic for two weeks.