Abstract

Roentgenograms of the lateral lumbar area of the spine were obtained from 1,015 subjects over age 45 who were residing in North Dakota. Three hundred lived in an area where the fluoride content of the water supply was high, 4 to 5.8 ppm, and 715 in an area where it was low, 0.15 to 0.3 ppm. Evidence of osteoporosis, reduced bone density, and collapsed vertebrae was substantially higher in the low-fluoride area, particularly in men. Limited information on milk and cheese consumption does not indicate that differences in calcium consumption are a significant factor. Fluoride consumption is important in the prevention of osteoporosis and may also play a significant role in preventing calcification of the aorta.

• Related Studies :

  • Further observations on radiological changes of endemic food borne skeletal fluorosis

    Among radiological changes in 396 cases of foodborne skeletal fluorosis, from 4 endemic areas in Guizhou, China, osteoporosis, osteomalacia and impaired bone growth were seen in addition to previously recorded findings of osteosclerosis, bone prominences, joint changes and calcification of peripheral arteries. The deformity of genu valgum, a manifestation of

  • Fluorosis in Aden

    The cases to be described here occurred in the Aden Protectorate where for the last 12 years mass screening of the chest to exclude pulmonary tuberculosis has been carried out. The patients had all drunk the brackish water from the wells, and the analysis of the water from a well

  • Medical aspects of excessive fluoride in a water supply

    A 10-year study of 116 persons in Bartlett and 121 in Cameron, Tex., was conducted to determine if prolonged exposure to fluoride in the water supply of Bartlett had produced detectable physiological effects. Bartlett's water contained about 8 p.p.m. F until 1952, when an experimental defluoridation unit was installed, reducing the

  • Osteoporosis Treatments Affect Bone Matrix Maturation in a Rat Model of Induced Cortical Remodeling.

    The example of sodium fluoride (NaF) clearly demonstrates an instance where increasing bone mass while altering maturation can negatively affect drug efficacy. NaF was a promising osteoporosis treatment because it increased BMD.5 However, it became evident that the treated patients were at increased risk of fracture,6, 7 which was later

  • A prospective study of bone mineral content and fracture in communities with differential fluoride exposure

    In 1983/1984, a study of bone mass and fractures was begun in 827 women aged 20-80 years in three rural Iowa communities selected for the fluoride and calcium content of their community water supplies. The control community's water had a calcium content of 67 mg/liter and a fluoride content of

• Related FAN Content :

  • Fluoride & Arterial Calcification

    The major change involved with cardiovascular disease is development of atherosclerosis in critical arteries, which is partially characterized by vascular calcification. The level of coronary artery calcification is thought to be the most important indicator of future cardiovascular events. Increased arterial calcifications have frequently been reported in those with skeletal fluorosis

  • "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.

  • Fluoride & Myocardial Damage

    Structural damage to the heart resulting from fluoride toxicity has been observed in numerous human and animal studies. The general features of this damage include cloudy swelling, vacuolization or vacuolar degeneration, hemorrhages, interstitial edema, fibrous necrosis, dissolution of nuclei, and thickening of the vessel walls in the heart muscle (Basha

  • Fluoride & Arteriosclerosis

    Healthy arteries are flexible and elastic, allowing efficient transfer of blood and nutrients from the heart to the rest of the body. Arteriosclerosis refers to a stiffening of the arteries, including loss of elasticity. This is a slow, progressive disease that may begin early in life from damage to the

  • Fluoride, Blood Pressure and Hypertension

    Individuals with blood pressure readings that exceed 140/90 are considered hypertensive. Hypertension can increase the risk of stroke, heart attack, heart failure, aortic aneurysms, and peripheral arterial disease. An association between increased fluoride in ground water and increased prevalence of hypertension has been observed, especially among adult males (Amini et