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.
Department of Anthropology, Panjab University, Chandigarh - 160 014, India.
S K
SK
Pal
K
K
Sharma
A
A
Pathak
I M S
IM
Sawhney
S
S
Prabhakar
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