Abstract

Endemic skeletal fluorosis is widely prevalent in India and is a major public health problem. The first ever report of endemic skeletal fluorosis and neurological manifestation was from Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh in the year 1937. Epidemiological and experimental  studies in the endemic areas suggest the role of temperate climate, hard physical labor, nutritional status, presence of abnormal concentrations of trace elements like strontium,  uranium, silica in water supplies, high fluoride levels in foods and presence of kidney disease in the development of skeletal fluorosis. Neurological complications of endemic  skeletal fluorosis, namely radiculopathy, myelopathy or both are mechanical in nature and till date the evidence for direct neurotoxicity of fluoride is lacking. Prevention of the  disease should be the aim, knowing the pathogenesis of fluorosis. Surgery has a limited  role in alleviating the neurological disability and should be tailored to the individual based on the imaging findings.

• Related Studies :

  • [Clinical and imaging study of fluoride-poisoning arthropathy].

    Objective: To probe into the clinical and imaging manifestations and mechanisms of fluorosis-associated arthropathy. Methods: Analyses were conducted on the clinical manifestations, X-rays and magnetic resonance examinations in 18 cases with fluorosis-associated arthropathy. Results: Skeletal fluorosis of different severities was revealed in the 18 cases. Major clinical symptoms were as follows: pain

  • Modifying role of GSTP1 polymorphism on the association between tea fluoride exposure and the brick-tea type fluorosis

    BACKGROUND:  Brick tea type fluorosis is a public health concern in the north-west area of China. The association between SNPs of genes influencing bone mass and fluorosis has attracted attention, but the association of SNPs with the risk of brick-tea type of fluorosis has not been reported. OBJECTIVE:  To investigate the

  • Thoracic myelopathy from coincident fluorosis and epidural lipomatosis

    Skeletal fluorosis is rare in North America. It can present with back pain and extremity weakness. Immobilization of the spine and the extremity joints can occur. It is usually caused by abnormally increased oral fluoride intake over many years. Epidural lipomatosis is usually caused by idiopathic obesity or corticosteroid use.

  • Fluorosis induced by drinking brick tea

    Fluorosis in China has been known to be induced by two main causes. One is water-dependent fluorosis caused by a long-time consumption of high-fluoride (F) containing water. The other is called "coal-burning type fluorosis", caused by inhalation of air polluted by coal smoke and/or ingestion of food exposed to coal

  • The spectrum of radiographic bone changes in children with fluorosis

    Painful, crippling deformities in Tanzanian children from an area of endemic fluorosis are reported. Excessive fluoride ingestion in pregnant women may possibly poison and alter enzyme and hormonal systems in the fetus causing disturbances to osteoid formation and mineralization. Knock-knees, bowlegs, and saber shins develop when walking begins. Combinations of osteomalacia, osteoporosis,

• Related FAN Content :

  • 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.

  • Variability in Radiographic Appearance of Skeletal Fluorosis

    Osteosclerosis (dense bone) is the bone change typically associated with skeletal fluorosis, particularly in the axial skeleton (spine, pelvis, and ribs). Research shows, however, that skeletal fluorosis produces a spectrum of bone changes, including osteomalacia, osteoporosis, exostoses, changes resulting from secondary hyperparathyroidism, and combinations thereof. Although the reason for this radiographic variability is not yet fully understood, it is believed to relate to the dose of fluoride consumed, the individual's nutritional status, exposure to aluminum, genetic susceptibility, presence of kidney disease, and area of the skeleton examined.

  • 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.

  • "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.

  • Exposure Pathways Linked to Skeletal Fluorosis

    Excessive fluoride exposure from any source -- and from all sources combined -- can cause skeletal fluorosis. Some exposure pathways , however, have been specifically identified as placing individuals at risk of skeletal fluorosis. These exposure pathways include: Fluoridated Water for Kidney Patients Excessive Tea Consumption High-Fluoride Well Water Industrial Fluoride Exposure Fluorinated Pharmaceuticals (Voriconazole