Studies on skeletal muscle biopsies in endemic skeletal fluorosis

Neurological manifestations of skeletal fluorosis have been attributed to compressive radiculomyelopathy. Experimental fluorosis has shown evidence of myopathic changes. Data on human muscle pathology is very scanty. This study included 22 patients with established osteofluorosis. 16 of them showed only EMG changes of neurogenic muscle disease. Histochemistry and histopathology of muscle biopsies showed

Fluorine Intoxication: A Clinical-Hygienic Study with a Review of the Literature and Some Experimental Investigations

The pathogenesis of endemic fluorosis: Research progress in the last 5 years.

Fluorine is one of the trace elements necessary for health. It has many physiological functions, and participates in normal metabolism. However, fluorine has paradoxical effects on the body. Many studies have shown that tissues and organs of humans and animals appear to suffer different degrees of damage after long-term direct

Fluoride content of groundwater and prevalence of dental, skeletal and neurological stage of fluorosis in Tehsil Purwa of Unnao.

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Health problems in fluoride endemic areas of Gaya District

Fluoride (F) was estimated in the groundwater of six blocks (Bodh Gaya, Manpur, Wazirganj, Belaganj, Amas, and Bankebazar) of Gaya District, Bihar, for different physio-chemical properties e.g. pH, total dissolved solids(TDS), conductivity, turbidity, total hardness (TH), calcium, magnesium, iron and fluoride. Morever 93 blood samples from different age groups including

"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 & 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.

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.

Industrial Fluorosis

A highly significant relationship of exposure to fluoride was established with the frequency of back and neck surgery, fractures, symptoms of musculoskeletal disease and past history of diseases of bones and joints in the absence of the typical findings of skeletal fluorosis. Monitoring exposed workers for the early manifestations of "musculoskeletal fluorosis" is recommended prior to the development of destructive and degenerative changes of the skeleton.

NRC (2006): Fluoride's Neurotoxicity and Neurobehavioral Effects

The NRC's analysis on fluoride and the brain.