Abstract

A health survey of 1135 children and 1475 adults living in Sanganer Tehsil, Rajasthan, India, revealed a wide range of gastrointestinal (GI) discomforts associated with fluoride (F) in the groundwater in over 30 village areas. Complaints of abdominal pain including stomach ache, a bloated feeling, nausea, diarrhea, and constipation were recorded by questionnaires and interviews in low (<0.5 ppm F), medium (1.0-1.5 ppm), and high (>1.5 ppm) F water areas. Although the survey did not disclose GI discomfort among 360 children in the low nor among 375 children in the
medium F areas, 8.50% of the 400 children (mainly 12 to 18 years old) in the high F area were suffering from stomach ache, 3.25% from a bloated feeling, 4.75% from nausea, 0.25% from diarrhea, and 0.25% from constipation. Among 458 adults in the low F village areas, 8.30%, 3.49%, 6.11%, 5.24%, and 0.87%, respectively, complained of stomach ache, a bloated feeling, nausea, diarrhea, and constipation, while among 489 adults in the medium F areas the percentages were 12.07%, 4.29%, 9.20%, 4.50%, and 1.64%, and among 528 adults in the high F areas they increased to 39.20%, 11.17%, 17.61%, and 18.94%, and 1.89%, respectively. The main complaint of children
and adults was stomach ache, followed by nausea and a bloated feeling, with males more prone to these effects than females. Possible reasons for the prevalence of gastric distress in these F areas are poor nutritional and socio-economic conditions exacerbated by ingestion of F through drinking water and dietary habits

• Related Studies :

  • A double blind test for determination of intolerance to fluoridated water (preliminary report).

    A double blind test for the detection of untoward effects from fluoridated water is described. Preliminary results with 60 patients out of a group of 300 indicate that certain individuals are intolerant to fluoride and reproducibly develop gastrointestinal symptoms, stomatitis, joint pains, polydipsia, headaches, and visual disturbances.

  • Tissue response of gastric mucosa after ingestion of fluoride

    Fluoride has been used successfully to prevent dental caries and has also been used to treat osteoporosis. Doses of sodium fluoride of about 50 mg a day have long term beneficial effects on the mineral content of bone and the incidence of fracture. (1) These doses, however, have resulted in

  • Deleterious effect of sodium fluoride on gastrointestinal tract

    1. The effect of sodium fluoride (NaF) on gastrointestinal tracts of rats was investigated. 2. Blood flow rate in rat stomach mucosa was only 30% of the initial rate during 30-60 min after a single oral dose (300 mg/kg) of NaF. 3. The addition of NaF (final NaF concentration: 50

  • 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,

  • Co-exposure to inorganic arsenic and fluoride prominently disrupts gut microbiota equilibrium and induces adverse cardiovascular effects in offspring rats.

    Highlights Co-exposure to arsenic and fluoride leads to adverse cardiovascular effects. Co-exposure to arsenic and fluoride results in gut microbiota perturbations. Co-exposure causes more prominent effects than arsenic or fluoride alone. Strong correlations are identified between cardiovascular effects and significantly altered genera. Co-exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs) and fluoride (F-)

• Related FAN Content :

  • Fluoride-Induced Damage to Gastric Mucosa in Human Clinical Trials

    When fluoride has been used (at doses of 18-34 mg/day) as an experimental treatment for osteoporosis, gastric pain is one of the two main side effects consistently encountered. To better understand how fluoride causes this effect, researchers have sought to determine how fluoride affects the tissue that lines the gastrointestinal tract. In a

  • Side Effects from Fluoride Gels: Gastric Distress

    Gastric distress -- including nausea, pain, and vomiting -- is one the most common side effects from professional application of "fluoride gels" at the dentist. Patients receiving fluoride gels can swallow more than 20 mg of fluoride from a single treatment -- doses that far exceed the doses that can

  • Fluoride & Gastrointestinal System: The Importance of Fluoride Concentration in Stomach

    The following is an excerpt from the National Research Council's (2006) review of fluoride toxicity: "It is important to realize that GI effects depend more on the net concentration of the aqueous solution of fluoride in the stomach than on the total fluoride dose in the fluid or solid ingested. The

  • Gastrointestinal Problems Among Individuals with Skeletal Fluorosis

    Humans suffering from skeletal fluorosis are known to suffer from an increased occurrence of gastrointestinal disorders. When fluoride intake is reduced, these gastrointestinal problems are among the first symptoms to disappear. The following are some of the studies that have examined this issue: "It is clear from the observations presented in this article

  • Fluoride-Induced Gastric Symptoms in Human Clinical Trials

    In studies where fluoride has been used (at doses of 18-34 mg/day) as an experimental drug for the treatment of osteoporosis, gastrointestinal disturbances are one of the two main side effects consistently encountered. The following are some of the accounts from the published literature: "The use of fluoride in the prophylaxis or