Long term follow-up of konzo patients

✍ Scribed by J. Cliff; D. Nicala

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 392 KB
• Volume: 91
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0035-9203
• DOI: 10.1016/s0035-9203(97)90279-0

✦ Synopsis

Nine patients with konzo, a symmetric spastic paraparesis of acute onset that occurs during agricultural crises in cassava-growing areas, were re-examined after 14 years. Konzo outbreaks are associated with eating insufficiently processed bitter cassava and a low intake of essential amino acids. Bitter cassava contains cyanogenic glycosides; processing breaks them down to acetone cyanohydrin and hydrogen cyanide. This long term follow-up showed that the neurological signs in konzo patients remained constant. Four severely affected patients, however, showed functional improvement. This non-progression clearly distinguishes konzo from myelopathy associated with humanT lymphotropic virus type I infection. One child, originally classified as a konzo case, showed signs of cretinism at follow-up.