lathyrism
Sign in to saveAlso known as neurolathyrism
Lathyrism is a condition caused by eating certain legumes of the genus Lathyrus. There are three types of lathyrism: neurolathyrism, osteolathyrism, and angiolathyrism, all of which are incurable, differing in their symptoms and in the body tissues affected.
Key facts
- Medical condition (new).name
- Lathyrism
- Medical condition (new).field
- Toxicology
- Medical condition (new).symptoms
- Weakness, fatigue, paralysis of the legs, atrophy of leg muscles, and skeletal deformities
- Medical condition (new).onset
- Gradual
- Medical condition (new).duration
- Permanent
- Medical condition (new).types
- Neurolathyrism Osteolathyrism Angiolathyrism
- Medical condition (new).causes
- Overconsumption of legumes containing ODAP (neurolathyrism) or beta-aminopropionitrile (angio- and osteolathyrism)
- Medical condition (new).diagnosis
- Based on symptoms and diet
- Medical condition (new).treatment
- Supportive care
- Medical condition (new).frequency
- Rare
via Wikipedia infobox
Research
1,146 papers- Lathyrism.World review of nutrition and dietetics · 1969
- LATHYRISM.Mayo Clinic proceedings · 1964
- Lathyrism: a review.The Quarterly review of biology · 1974
- [LATHYRISM].Iryo · 1965
- Lathyrism: a neurotoxic disease.Neurobehavioral toxicology and teratology · 1983
via PubMed
~4 min read
Encyclopedic overview
8 sectionsContents
- Types
- Neurolathyrism
- Osteolathyrism
- Angiolathyrism
- Prevention
- History
- Related conditions
- References
Lathyrism is a condition caused by eating certain legumes of the genus Lathyrus. There are three types of lathyrism: neurolathyrism, osteolathyrism, and angiolathyrism, all of which are incurable, differing in their symptoms and in the body tissues affected.
Neurolathyrism is the type associated with the consumption of legumes in the genus Lathyrus that contain the toxin oxalyldiaminopropionic acid (ODAP). ODAP ingestion results in motor neuron death. The result is paralysis and muscle atrophy of the lower limbs. Osteolathyrism, a different type of lathyrism, affects the connective tissues, not the motor neurons. Osteolathyrism results from the ingestion of Lathyrus odoratus seeds (sweet peas), and is often referred to as odoratism. It is caused by a different toxin, beta-aminopropionitrile, which affects the linking of the subunits of collagen, a major structural protein found in connective tissue. A third type of lathyrism is angiolathyrism, which is similar to osteolathyrism in its mechanism, employing the toxin beta-aminopropionitrile. The blood vessels are affected, as opposed to bone.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “lathyrism” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.