Possible relationship between phenylthiocarbamide taste sensitivity and epilepsy.
The study was based on the data of a sample of 400 epileptic patients (200 idiopathic and 200 symptomatic) and 100 normal healthy individuals serving as controls. The PTC threshold distribution was bimodal. The number of non-tasters among idiopathic epileptics (35.5%) and symptomatic epileptics (32.5%) was significantly higher than controls (20%). The relative incidence of non-tasters in idiopathic and symptomatic epilepsies was 2.20 and 1.93 respectively. There is evidence that non-tasters tend to ingest a greater quantity of bitter tasting goitrogenic substances present naturally in edible plants which in turn exert greater thyroid stress in non-tasters or less sensitive tasters. Such a stress during intrauterine or early childhood growth and development might have affected neurological maturation which in turn made them more susceptible to epilepsy than tasters, who faced lesser stress.
Pal
S K
SK
Department of Anthropology, Panjab University, Chandigarh - 160 014, India.
Sharma
K
K
Pathak
A
A
Sawhney
I M S
IM
Prabhakar
S
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010670:Phenylthiourea; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D013649:Taste
D010670:Phenylthiourea