Hospital morbidity in the Fiji islands with special reference to the saccharine disease.
The concept of the excessive consumption of carbohydrates as a cause of many diseases of civilisation has previously been proposed under the name of the 'saccharine disease'. A review of the hospital morbidity figures for these diseases in a divisional hospital in the Fiji Islands is presented. The hospital serves a population comprised of Indians and Fijians, suggesting comparison with the province of Natal, South Africa. Indians have a higher incidence of diabetes melitus, myocardial infarction, duodenal ulcer, acute appendicitis, gallstones, renal stones and eclampsia. Their diets differ mainly in the higher consumption of refined fibre-depleted carbohydrates, and it is suggested that the association is compatible with the concept of the "saccharine disease".
D000208:Acute Disease; D001064:Appendicitis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004239:Diverticulitis, Colonic / Q000453:epidemiology; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005006:Ethnicity; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005367:Fiji; D005705:Gallbladder Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D006484:Hemorrhoids / Q000453:epidemiology; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000208:ethnology; D007669:Kidney Calculi / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009017:Morbidity; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000453:epidemiology; D010437:Peptic Ulcer / Q000453:epidemiology; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D014648:Varicose Veins / Q000453:epidemiology
D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates