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 :

  • Continuing impacts on red deer from a volcanic eruption in 2011

    In June of 2011, the Puyehue–Cordon Caulle volcanic eruption deposited large amounts of ashes in Chile and Argentina. Although ashes were initially considered innoxious based on water leachates, we found clinical cases of fluoride intoxication in red deer (Cervus elaphus) and domestic herbivores in Argentina. The diagnosis was corroborated by

  • Clinical effect of acupuncture on endemic skeletal fluorosis: a randomized controlled trial

    Objective. To evaluate the effect of acupuncture on endemic skeletal fluorosis (ESF) through the randomized controlled trial. Methods. Ninety-nine cases were divided into the treatment group (68 cases) and the control group (31 cases) randomly. Normal acupuncture combined with electroacupuncture was used in treatment group, while Caltrate with vitamin D tablets

  • Effect of sodium fluoride on collagen cross-link precursors.

    Rabbits of similar age and body weight received sodium fluoride (NaF) (50 mg/kg body weight/day) intragastrically for up to 136 days. The acid-soluble collagen of bone, tendon, trachea and skin was extracted and purified. Aldehyde associated with the collagen was determined spectrophotometrically. Bone collagen, which had maximum aldehyde content in

  • Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA) study of endemic skeletal fluorosis in a village of Nalgonda District, Andhra Pradesh, India

    A comparative study of bone mineral density (BMD) and bone fracture was conducted in a fluorotic and a nonfluorotic area of the Nalgonda District, Andhra Pradesh, India. BMD measured by dual X- ray absorptiometry (DXA) of L2–L4 vertebrae, femoral neck, hip, and whole body was significantly higher by 112%, 43%,

  • Excessive fluoride in water and bone chemistry; comparison of two cases

    Analytic chemical studies of similar human skeletal tissues obtained at autopsy from two comparable women were conducted to determine the effect of a prolonged exposure to drinking water containing 8.0 ppm of fluoride on the chemistry of human bones. As a result of the prolonged .use of this fluoride drinking water,

• Related FAN Content :

  • 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.

  • "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.

  • 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.

  • Fluoride & Arthritis

    The doses that American adults now routinely ingest overlap the doses that may cause chronic joint pain.