title: [Aflatoxin contamination of food: additional risk factor for chronic liver diseases].
abstract: Aflatoxins are over all spread toxic metabolites of fungi, able to induce chronic liver damages.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To establish the correlation between the degree of liver disease and risk of chronic intake of aflatoxin contaminated foods.
  
  
  METHODS
  123 patients divided in three groups (controls, chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis) completed a food frequency questionaire (FFQ) estimating the intake risk of foods with a high potential of contamination with aflatoxins and alcohol consumption.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Frequent intake of high risk foodstuff was declared by 37% of the participants, without any differences between the three groups. Foods with a very high risk of contamination were more frequently consumed in rural areas (predominant maize and oily seeds), while in the urban areas spices and coffee prevailed. In countryside, the feeding risk decreased with the gravity of liver disease, but alcohol consumption was significantly greater.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  FFQ revealed a high risk of ingestion of aflatoxin contaminated foodstuff in general population, greater in rural areas. The risk of aflatoxin intake seems unreleated with the gravity of chronic liver disease.
authors.affiliation: Facultatea de Medicină, Institutul de Gastroenterologie si Hepatologie, Universitatea de Medicină si Farmacie "Gr.T. Popa" Iaşi.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Huţanaşu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sfarti
authors.forename: Anca
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trifan
authors.forename: Mihaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huţanaşu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stanciu
mesh_terms: D000348:Aflatoxins / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000209:etiology; D003069:Coffee / Q000009:adverse effects; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005506:Food Contamination; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D011042:Poisons / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012383:Romania / Q000453:epidemiology; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003313:Zea mays / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D000348:Aflatoxins; D003069:Coffee; D011042:Poisons