Pellagra, making its way through the new millennium

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Pellagra, making its way through the new
millennium

• Corina-Aurelia Zugravu, MD, PhD
• Univerisity of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol
  Davila
• Institute of Public Health, Bucharest
• ROMANIA

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Definition

• Pelagra - a chronical disease with acute
  episodes, due to complex nutritional deficiencies
  

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Ethiology

• corn consumption
• poverty
• alcohol consumption
• malabsorption syndromes

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Why we carried out this study

• because of the important socio-economic changes
  that took place in Romania in the last 20 years
• extension of the surfaces cultivated with corn,
• diminution of the financial resources of peasants
  from certain areas of the country,
• return of the unemployed people from towns, to
  their rural communities,
• the land reform

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What we tried to find out

• if possible cases of pellagra can be found, - -
  by evaluating the food intake and the nutritional
  status of peasants from two communities from
  Romania
• (2006-2008)
• - by investigating eventual cases of pellagra
  diagnosed in two general hospitals from Bucharest

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Material and methods
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• - two representative samples of inhabitants from
  two Romanian villages S. and D

D
S
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3. socio-economical evaluation
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B

• 2 general Hospitals from Bucharest/ all
  departaments/ 2006-2008.
• With the help of the local medical staff
  identified all cases of diagnosed pellagra
  (investigating medical records, clinical exams,
  social inquiry)
• taken in account only diagnosed pellagra

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1. rural collectivities

• relative poverty 40-50 of the medium income in
  Romania

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diet structure assessment
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Nutritional status

• BMI

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Clinical examination

• polymorphic changes on skin, mucosae, digestive
  system and of the nervous system

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Biochemical evaluation
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• 114 persons signs suggesting a pellagrous
  syndrome
• 5 persons had signs of pellagra
• 4 from S.
• 1 from D.

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2. Hospitals
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Conclusions

• pellagra must be taken in consideration by the
  medical services and economic organizations
  especially in the poor rural communities

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• Efficient public health measures have to be put
  in place to
• educate people to avoid certain dietary patterns
  that could lead to pellagra (eating corn flour
  instead of wheat flour, drinking alcohol
  beverages in excess)
• learn even poorer categories of population about
  affordable food choices efficient in the
  prophylaxis of pellagra.

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• general economic measures of protection are
  needed to ameliorate the general standard of life
  in less fortunate population groups from rural
  regions

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• Thank you for attention and patience!