Abstract

(1) Fluoride concentrations were determined for autopsy samples of rib, sacrum, ilium, vertebra, adhering soft tissue, and rib marrow from a patient suffering from rheumatoid (ankylosing) spondylitis of 10 years’ duration. The fluoride concentrations were not increased above normal levels. In this case, the increased bone density seen in this disease was not the result of increased skeletal fluoride deposition.

(2) A tabular comparison of rheumatoid spondylitis, crippling fluorosis, and metastatic carcinoma is presented.

• Related Studies :

  • Skeletal fluorosis from instant tea

    INTRODUCTION: Skeletal fluorosis (SF) can result from prolonged consumption of well water with >4 ppm fluoride ion (F(-); i.e., >4 mg/liter). Black and green teas can contain significant amounts of F(-). In 2005, SF caused by drinking 1-2 gallons of double-strength instant tea daily throughout adult life was reported in

  • Screening vs. individual detection of industrial fluorosis: a decision analysis model

    In preventive medicine and occupational health, decision-makers face uncertainty, divergent opinions, and varying needs. In the Swiss aluminum industry, screening for industrial fluorosis illustrates how decision analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis can provide rational and explicit models of decision-making in such contexts. Data on fluoride-exposed potroom workers are used to compare

  • Radiological criteria of industrial fluorosis

    The bone radiographs of 43 potroom workers in an aluminium factory, on whom the diagnosis of industrial fluorosis had been confirmed by bone biopsy, are compared with radiographs from 18 control subjects. A higher frequency of ossification of ligament, tendon, and muscle attachments is observed among the fluoride exposed subjects.

  • X-ray changes in the forearm and crus of residents of areas in Jilin Province with varying drinking water fluoride concentrations

    GOAL: To understand the characteristics of forearm and crus X-rays of residents from areas with varying concentrations of fluoride in their drinking water, providing evidence for diagnosis of osteofluorosis. METHOD: Using quantificational epidemiological methods, a total of 15 villages from Qianan and Nonan Counties of Jilin Province were selected as the

  • Skeletal fluorosis mimicking seronegative arthritis

    Fluorosis is endemic in certain parts of the world, especially the Asian subcontinent (1). We report an unusual presentation of fluorosis mimicking seronegative spondyloarthritis. Although fluorosis is known to cause irritable bowel syndrome-like disorder and joint pain, this could be wrongly diagnosed as a case of seronegative arthritis. Case report A 35-year-old

• Related FAN Content :

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • "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 & Spondylosis; Spondylitis

    Among individuals with skeletal fluorosis, the fluoride-induced changes to the spine, and the accompanying symptoms, can bear a close resemblance to spondylosis and spondylitis (as well as DISH). Spondylosis is a (non-inflammatory) degenerative disease of the spine marked by bony outgrowths (spurs) which can produce nerve cord compression. Spondylitis, by contrast, is an inflammatory form of arthritis that causes inflammation in the joints between the vertebrae. Whereas spondylosis is generally asymptomatic, spondylitis generally causes significant pain and stiffness in the spine.

  • Fluoride & Osteopetrosis

    One of the most common radiological findings in skeletal fluorosis is osteosclerosis - a hardening of bones with a blurring of the trabecular structure. In advanced cases, the osteosclerotic form of fluorosis may closely resemble the appearance of osteopetrosis, a "marble bone" disease in which the bones are dense, but fragile and prone to fracture.