Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/1942/34654
Title: | Revisiting Konzo Risk Factors in Three Areas Differently Affected by Spastic Paraparesis in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo Discloses a Prominent Role of the Nutritional Status-A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study | Authors: | BAGUMA, Marius Malembaka, Espoir Bahizire, Esto Mudumbi, Germain Shamamba, Dieudonné Matabaro, Alain-Narcisse RIGO, Jean-Michel Njamnshi, Alfred Chabwine, Joelle |
Issue Date: | 2021 | Publisher: | MDPI | Source: | Nutrients, 13 (8) (Art N° 2628) | Abstract: | This comparative cross-sectional study aimed to better understand the respective contributions of protein malnutrition and cassava-derived cyanide poisoning in the development of konzo. We compared data on nutritional status and cyanide exposure of school-age adolescent konzo-diseased patients to those of non-konzo subjects of similar age from three areas in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Our results show that konzo patients had a high prevalence of both wasting (54.5%) and stunting (72.7%), as well as of cyanide poisoning (81.8%). Controls from Burhinyi and those from Idjwi showed a similar profile with a low prevalence of wasting (3.3% and 6.5%, respectively) and intermediate prevalence of stunting (26.7% and 23.9%, respectively). They both had a high prevalence of cyanide poisoning (50.0% and 63.0%, respectively), similar to konzo-patients. On the other hand, controls from Bukavu showed the lowest prevalence of both risk factors, namely chronic malnutrition (12.1%) and cyanide poisoning (27.6%). In conclusion, cassava-derived cyanide poisoning does not necessarily coexist with konzo outbreaks. The only factor differentiating konzo patients from healthy individuals exposed to cyanide poisoning appeared to be their worse nutritional status. This further suggests that, besides the known role of cyanide poisoning in the pathogenesis of konzo, malnutrition may be a key factor for the disease occurrence. | Keywords: | cassava;cyanide poisoning;konzo;malnutrition;South-Kivu | Document URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/1942/34654 | e-ISSN: | 2072-6643 | DOI: | 10.3390/nu13082628 | ISI #: | 000689997800001 | Rights: | 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). | Category: | A1 | Type: | Journal Contribution | Validations: | ecoom 2022 |
Appears in Collections: | Research publications |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Baguma et al - nutrients-13-02628.pdf | Published version | 836.32 kB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
WEB OF SCIENCETM
Citations
3
checked on Oct 13, 2024
Page view(s)
40
checked on Sep 7, 2022
Download(s)
22
checked on Sep 7, 2022
Google ScholarTM
Check
Altmetric
Items in DSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.