Abstract

[Objective] To explore the relationship between fluoride concentration in drinking water and osteoarthritis in populations to provide a scientific basis for prevention and control of endemic skeletal fluorosis.

[Methods] From 2003 to 2004, we investigated the occurrence of osteoarthritis in middle-aged and elderly persons over the age of 50 permanently residing in fluorosis-afflicted regions of Gaomi City, where fluoride concentration in drinking water ranged between 0.25 and 7.97 mg/L.

[Results] A total of 7,876 persons were investigated; the frequency of occurrence of arthritic symptoms within the most recent one month for the regions with higher fluoride concentration in drinking water was higher than that for the regions with lower fluoride concentration in drinking water; the incidence of rigidity of joints (knee, hip and vertebra) after waking up in the morning was 50.96%, and the incidence of pain in knee joints, hip joints and vertebra within the most recent one month was 49.23%; these indicators are all higher for the population with higher fluoride concentration in drinking water than those for the population with lower fluoride concentration in drinking water.

[Conclusions] Excessive intake of fluoride may lead to a higher incidence of osteoarthritis in populations, and the populations’ response to osteoarthritis should be regarded as an important indication in the study of endemic fluorosis.

• Related Studies :

  • Sodium fluoride induces apoptosis through the downregulation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1a in primary cultured rat chondrocytes

    It has been reported that sodium fluoride (NaF) suppresses the proliferation and induces apoptosis of chondrocytes. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the effect have not been elucidated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the mechanisms of the effects of NaF on primary cultured rat chondrocytes

  • Clinical features of early stages of occupational fluorosis under the combined and joint effect of production factors

    Over 1000 workers of hydrofluoric and cryolite enterprises and electrolysis shops of aluminium enterprises were examined. Subjects exposed to soluble hydrofluorides presented in the early stage of chronic intoxication with a variety of syndromes, that was characteristic of intoxication with poisons of general toxic action with involvement of hepatobiliary, digestive,

  • Controlling the fluoride dosage in a patient with compromised salivary function

    BACKGROUND:  High-concentration topical fluorides are used commonly to with compromised salivary function due to irradiation and chemotherapy. CASE DESCRIPTION:  The authors describe a 50-year-old man with previously treated cancer who was using tray-applied topical fluoride gel. He complained of gastric symptoms, difficulty in swallowing, leg muscle soreness and knee joint soreness.

  • [Etiology and treatment of postoperative spinal cord injury for patients undergoing laminectomy for fluorosis thoracic canal stenosis].

    OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the etiology of postoperative spinal cord injury (PSCI) for patients undergoing laminectomy for fluorosis thoracic canal stenosis (FTCS) and summarize the methods of diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: From 2006 to 2009, a total of 192 FTCS cases underwent laminectomy. Among them, 16 cases with gradual postoperative neural deterioration were finally

  • Fluoride in synovial fluid, bone marrow, and cartilage in patients with osteoarthritis.

    The aim of this study was to comp are the concentrations of fluoride (F) in cartilage, bone marrow, and synovial fluid taken from patients with osteoarthritis (OA). We also determined the correlation between OA risk factors, including age, sex, obesity, and hypertension, and F concentrations in the studied materials. The

• Related FAN Content :

  • "Pre-Skeletal" Fluorosis

    As demonstrated by the studies below, skeletal fluorosis may produce adverse symptoms, including arthritic pains, clinical osteoarthritis, gastrointestinal disturbances, and bone fragility, before the classic bone change of fluorosis (i.e., osteosclerosis in the spine and pelvis) is detectable by x-ray. Relying on x-rays, therefore, to diagnosis skeletal fluorosis will invariably fail to protect those individuals who are suffering from the pre-skeletal phase of the disease. Moreover, some individuals with clinical skeletal fluorosis will not develop an increase in bone density, let alone osteosclerosis, of the spine. Thus, relying on unusual increases in spinal bone density will under-detect the rate of skeletal fluoride poisoning in a population.

  • Skeletal Fluorosis: The Misdiagnosis Problem

    It is a virtual certainty that there are individuals in the general population unknowingly suffering from some form of skeletal fluorosis as a result of a doctor's failure to consider fluoride as a cause of their symptoms. Proof that this is the case can be found in the following case reports of skeletal fluorosis written by doctors in the U.S. and other western countries. As can be seen, a consistent feature of these reports is that fluorosis patients--even those with crippling skeletal fluorosis--are misdiagnosed for years by multiple teams of doctors who routinely fail to consider fluoride as a possible cause of their disease.

  • Fluoride & Osteoarthritis

    While the osteoarthritic effects that occurred from fluoride exposure were once considered to be limited to those with skeletal fluorosis, recent research shows that fluoride can cause osteoarthritis in the absence of traditionally defined fluorosis. Conventional methods used for detecting skeletal fluorosis, therefore, will fail to detect the full range of people suffering from fluoride-induced osteoarthritis.