Abstract
Nodular bone lesions were identified in three species of fruit bat in the Metropolitan Toronto Zoo collection: 25 of 43 Indian fruit bats (Pteropus giganteus), eight of eight grey-headed flying foxes (P. poliocephalus), and seven of 45 Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus). The condition was investigated by retrospective study of clinical and necropsy records, by regular physical examination, radiography, and blood sampling of bats currently in the collection, and by postmortem examination. Bone from necropsy specimens had markedly raised fluoride levels (3,300 ± 1,100 ppm) compared with similar bone samples from another collection (300 ± 50 ppm). Samples of the fruit bat diet contained fluoride at levels higher than the recommended dietary intake. Consequently, the osteoproliferation was attributed to fluorosis.
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Multiple myeloma-like spinal MRI findings in skeletal fluorosis: an unusual presentation of fluoride toxicity in human
Endemic fluorosis is a worldwide environmental problem due to excessive fluoride, commonly due to increased drinking water fluoride levels but sometimes due to other sources such as food with high fluoride content. In India, 21 of the 35 states are known to have health problems associated with fluoride toxicity. The
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Rapid-onset diffuse skeletal fluorosis from inhalant abuse
Case: A thirty-year-old man presented with severely debilitating left hip pain and stiffness. Radiographs demonstrated diffuse osteosclerosis and heterotopic bone formation with near ankylosis of the left hip. The patient underwent successful joint-preserving surgery to restore hip range of motion. After disclosing a history of inhalant abuse, which was confirmed
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Fluorosis-induced hyperparathyroidism mimicking a giant-cell tumour of the femur
We report the case of a young woman who, over a period of five years was diagnosed and treated for a giant-cell tumour of bone, osteomalacia and fluorosis. A review of the literature revealed a correlation between these three diagnoses, the primary pathology being fluorosis and the remaining symptoms being secondary manifestations. It
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Why did the ancient inhabitants of Palmyra suffer fluorosis?
The skeletal remains uncovered from the 2nd and 3rd century underground tombs of Palmyra, Syria, retain traces of arthritis and mottled enamel. A brown discoloration was also observed in the teeth. In order to clarify that these facts can be related to fluorosis, the teeth excavated from Tomb C and
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Industrial fluorosis [Boillat et al.]
43 potroom workers (aluminium industry) with fluorosis have been compared with 18 foundry workers of the same age, but who had never been exposed to fluorides. Clinical examination revealed a higher incidence of articular pain and limitation of motion in the exposed group. The diagnosis of fluorosis is not only
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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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Fluoridation, Dialysis & Osteomalacia
In the 1960s and 1970s, doctors discovered that patients receiving kidney dialysis were accumulating very high levels of fluoride in their bones and blood, and that this exposure was associated with severe forms of osteomalacia, a bone-softening disease that leads to weak bones and often excruciating bone pain. Based on
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Factors which increase the risk for skeletal fluorosis
The risk for developing skeletal fluorosis, and the course the disease will take, is not solely dependent on the dose of fluoride ingested. Indeed, people exposed to similar doses of fluoride may experience markedly different effects. While the wide range in individual response to fluoride is not yet fully understood, the following are some of the factors that are believed to play a role.
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