title: Food-aid cereals to reduce neurolathyrism related to grass-pea preparations during famine.
abstract: Neurolathyrism is a spastic paraparesis that can be caused by excessive consumption of the drought-resistant grass pea (Lathyrus sativus). Devastating neurolathyrism epidemics have occurred during major famine crises in various parts of the world. We investigated in a case-control study the effects of food aid on risk of paralysis. Risk increased with consumption of boiled grass pea (adjusted odds ratio 2.78, 95% CI 1.09-7.13 with cereals; 5.22, 2.01-13.55 without cereal) and raw unripe green grass pea (1.96, 1.16-3.31; p=0.011), but not with the fermented pancake, unleavened bread, and gravy preparations. In a correlational study there was an inverse relation between the number of new cases and the amount of food-aid cereals distributed per person. During famine, cereals and nutritional information should reach people before they have grass pea as the only food.
authors.affiliation: South Gonder Health Department, Debre Tabor, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Haileyesus
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Getahun
authors.forename: Fernand
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lambein
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vanhoorne
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Van der Stuyft
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003296:Cooking / Q000379:methods; D004032:Diet; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002523:Edible Grain; D005002:Ethiopia / Q000453:epidemiology; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000506:poisoning*; D005260:Female; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007842:Lathyrism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000506:poisoning; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013217:Starvation / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D009498:Neurotoxins