title: Dropsy outbreak in a single family in Punjab, India.
abstract: Epidemic dropsy is caused by consumption of mustard oil contaminated with argemone oil. It usually occurs in outbreaks with acute manifestation of bilateral pitting edema, erythema, and local tenderness along with cardiac and respiratory problems in severe cases leading to death. We report an outbreak that is unusual because of its gradual onset, clustering in a single family, and with major manifestation of gastrointestinal illness mimicking acute gastroenteritis, hence leading to delayed diagnosis and high mortality. Thus, the diagnosis of epidemic dropsy should be considered as a strong possibility when there is clustering of cases in a single family with on and off gastrointestinal symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea in a mustard oil consuming belt.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India; Integrated Disease Surveillance Project, Directorate of Health and Family Welfare-Punjab, Chandigarh, India; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, S.A.S. Nagar, Punjab, India pvm_lakshmi@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: P V M
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Lakshmi
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India; Integrated Disease Surveillance Project, Directorate of Health and Family Welfare-Punjab, Chandigarh, India; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, S.A.S. Nagar, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Atul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India; Integrated Disease Surveillance Project, Directorate of Health and Family Welfare-Punjab, Chandigarh, India; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, S.A.S. Nagar, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Deepak
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bhatia
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India; Integrated Disease Surveillance Project, Directorate of Health and Family Welfare-Punjab, Chandigarh, India; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, S.A.S. Nagar, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Kulbhushan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tikoo
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India; Integrated Disease Surveillance Project, Directorate of Health and Family Welfare-Punjab, Chandigarh, India; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, S.A.S. Nagar, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Rajesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kumar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004487:Edema / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005506:Food Contamination; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009149:Mustard Plant; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D010938:Plant Oils; C030610:argemone oil; C027793:mustard oil