title: Relationship between clinical features and blood levels of pentachlorodibenzofuran in patients with Yusho.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Yusho is a form of food poisoning that occurred in 1968, as a result of consuming rice bran oil contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and various dioxins such as polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs). The victims of Yusho suffered from various dermatological, ophthalmological, and mucosal symptoms in addition to general fatigue, weight loss, anorexia, headache, paresthesia of the extremities, abdominal pain, cough and sputa, dysmenorrhea, and growth retardation in infants and children. We measured the blood levels of dioxins in the annual medical check-up of Yusho patients from 2001 to 2003.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the relationship between the concentrations of PCDFs/PCBs and the subjective/objective/laboratory findings of patients with Yusho. We also compared the present clinical findings with those collected in 1988.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The mean blood level of 2,3,4,7,8-pentachlorodibenzofuran (PeCDF) in 359 patients with Yusho was 177.50 pg/g lipids, which was much higher than that of normal controls (15.2 +/- 8.9 pg/g lipids). The blood levels of PeCDF were significantly correlated with total PCB levels, hexachlorobiphenyl levels, urinary sugar, 2-h erythrocyte sedimentation rate, thymol turbidity test, and sodium levels. A significant correlation was also noted with dermatological findings (acneform eruption and comedones), mucosal findings (oral pigmentation), constipation, numbness in the extremities, body weight loss, and abnormal abdominal ultrasonography. The incidence and severity of most of the dermatological and ophthalmological symptoms decreased from 1988 to 2001-2003. In conclusion, high amounts of PCBs and PeCDF are still present in a number of patients with Yusho. The patients still suffer from various mucocutaneous and subjective symptoms.
authors: Department of Planning Information and Management, University of Tokyo Hospital,7-3-1 Hongo, Bunko-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan. imamura-t@umin.ac.jp
authors: Tomoaki
authors: T
authors: Imamura
authors: Yoshiyuki
authors: Y
authors: Kanagawa
authors: Shinya
authors: S
authors: Matsumoto
authors: Bunichi
authors: B
authors: Tajima
authors: Takeshi
authors: T
authors: Uenotsuchi
authors: Satoko
authors: S
authors: Shibata
authors: Masutaka
authors: M
authors: Furue
mesh_terms: D001572:Benzofurans / Q000097:blood* / Q000506:poisoning; D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000097:blood / Q000506:poisoning; D005506:Food Contamination; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D010938:Plant Oils; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000097:blood* / Q000506:poisoning; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood / Q000506:poisoning; D000073879:Rice Bran Oil
chemical_list: D001572:Benzofurans; D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D010938:Plant Oils; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; D000073879:Rice Bran Oil