Key result
Lathyrism affects 14 per 10,000 people in northwestern Bangladesh, predominantly impacting young males.
Why the study?
The epidemiology and prevalence of lathyrism in northwestern districts of Bangladesh were not well characterized.
Observational (n=629,752)
Yes
Lathyrism remains a significant public health issue in northwestern Bangladesh, predominantly affecting young working males with low animal protein intake.
Lathyrism burden in young males warrants vigilance in endemic areas; leaves open need for updated surveillance and prevention trials.
Two northwestern districts of Bangladesh with a population of 629,752 were surveyed from June 1991 to March 1993 to detect and follow up lathyrism patients. Out of 2,567 neurological patients, 882 were diagnosed as having lathyrism, giving a prevalence rate of 14.0/10,000. This prevalence was higher among young males: only 12.9% of the patients were female, and only 19.3% of the patients were over 30 years of age at onset of the disease. The average family size was 4.6 members. In the surveyed area, 730 families were evaluated: 622 families had only 1 affected member, and 108 families had 2-8 affected members. Most of the patients were working, while only 4% were not. The majority of the patients had a very low intake of animal protein. A few cases of human T-lymphotropic virus infection and osteolathyrism were found during this study.
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Haque et al. (1996) conducted an observational in Lathyrism (n=629,752). An epidemiological survey in northwestern Bangladesh found a lathyrism prevalence of 14.0 per 10,000, predominantly affecting young males.
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