Abstract
Of 46 cases of skeletal fluorosis in Punjab, India, 21 had compression paraplegia, All the patients lived in a small area where drinking-water and soil had an extremely high (though variable) content of fluoride.
The intoxication chiefly affected the skeleton, producing typical radiological features of diagnostic value. The teeth also showed characteristic mottling in many cases. The paraplegia was caused by compression of the spinal cord produced by excessive deposition of fluorides in the vertebral column and resultant narrowing of the spinal canal. It did not differ significantly from other compression paraplegias.
Significantly high levels of fluoride were found in the blood, urine, and bones of these patients; and there was a characteristic histological pattern of skeletal fluorosis.
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Posttraumatic pseudomenigocoele of cervical spine in a patient with skeletal fluorosis. Case report
A case of fluorotic cervical compressive myelopathy precipitated by trauma is reported. The delayed neurological deterioration was due to a posttraumatic pseudomenincocele, the prompt treatment of which resulted in recovery. Posttraumatic pseudomeningocele is very rate; and certainly so in fluorosis, and thus has not been reported in the literature to date.
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Fluorosis in Nalgonda District, Hyderabad-Deccan
Details of inviestigations of 32 cases of skeletal fluorosis with neurological manifestations are described. The results of the eighth-nerve functions are reported. The probable factors responsible for early skeletal changes in patients from Kamaguda are discussed. A case is described in which excretion of previously stored fluoride continued in the
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Compressive myelopathy in fluorosis: MRI
We examined four patients with fluorosis, presenting with compressive myelopathy, by MRI, using spin-echo and fast low-angle shot sequences. Cord compression due to ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL) and ligamentum flavum (LF) was demonstrated in one and ossification of only the LF in one. Marrow signal was observed in
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Skeletal fluorosis with neurological complications
A case of skeletal fluorosis with spinal cord compression from Kekirawa following consumption of water with high fluoride content for about 20 years is described. The observations of other workers and the present case report show that more extensive field studies among vulnerable populations is indicated in this region. The need to
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Ossification of the transverse atlantal ligament associated with fluorosis: a report of two cases and review of the literature
STUDY DESIGN: Two cases of ossification of the transverse atlantal ligament (OTAL) are reported, and the literature is reviewed. OBJECTIVE: To report two cases of OTAL, which share fluorosis as a possible etiologic link. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: OTAL, a rare phenomenon, may cause upper cervical canal stenosis and spastic quadriparesis. However,
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Fluoride & Spinal Stenosis
Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spaces in the spine that results in pressure being placed on the spinal cord and/or nerve roots. Although stenosis can develop without symptoms, it may produce numbness, tingling, pain and difficulty in walking, as well as a heavy/tired feeling in the legs. It is estimated that 250,000 to 500,000 Americans currently have symptoms of spinal stenosis. Skeletal fluorosis is one cause of stenosis.
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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.
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"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.
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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.
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Tea Intake Is a Risk Factor for Skeletal Fluorosis
A number of recent studies have found that heavy tea drinkers can develop skeletal fluorosis - a bone disease caused by excessive intake of fluoride.
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