2009-11-07 21:41:36 -
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Kashin-Beck disease is a disorder that affects the joints. It occurs most commonly in children and adolescence. It affects the hands, finger, elbows, knees and ankles. Deformity of the joints and limited growth may occur.
Causes of Kashin-beck Disease
The cause of Kashin-Beck disease is a combination of insufficient selenium and iodine. These two compounds are important for the preservation of normal
cartilage in the growth place. They are important components of enzymes.
Signs and Symptoms of Kashin-beck Disease
he illness was first identified by Russian doctors and medics serving with Cossack troops near Lake Baikal, and has been recorded in Siberia and North Korea. In most areas where it is prevalent it is often referred to as “big bone disease”.
The disease now chiefly occurs in 15 Chinese provinces. Advances in nutrition and storage techniques mean it has largely disappeared elsewhere, but it has proven dogged in remote valleys around the Tibetan capital Lhasa and elsewhere on the Tibetan plateau.
In China, the health ministry reckons up to three million people are affected by Kashin-Beck disease, and 30 million are living in endemic areas.
The disease was at its worst in the late 1950s, when in many severely hit villages up to 90 per cent of children got sick. There are stories of apparently healthy children suddenly developing swollen joints before their growth was stunted.
In adults, similar symptoms can cripple once healthy farmers, who are left unable to make a fist.
However, the Chinese health system is under-funded and has more pressing illnesses to worry about, such as tuberculosis, so “big bone disease” is not a priority.
Little is known about Kashin-Beck disease, and the cause is still a mystery, although a poor water supply, fungal toxins in grain and iodine deficiencies have all been mooted as possible causes.
The disease produces osteoarthritis of the joint. The joints become enlarged and irregular. Since the process occurs during growth, short stature may develop.
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