Rare bone disease hits Tibet
October 16th, 2010 - 6:21 pm ICT by IANSBeijing, Oct 16 (IANS) A rare bone disease is posing a health risk to about 170,000 residents in southwest China’s Tibet region, a medical survey has found.
At least 14,662 people have been diagnosed with Kaschin-Beck disease in Qamdo area, one of the most seriously affected regions, Xinhua reported.
According to the survey conducted by local health authorities, the patients usually develop thick and deformed joints, which eventually prevents them from working.
Doctors say the cause of the disease remains unknown. Some suspect that a certain fungus contained in barley, a staple food in the plateau, is to blame. Low iodine intake may be another cause.
The local government has been promoting relocation as a way to prevent the spread of the disease.
- Iodized salt usage up by 20 percent in rural households: Study - Apr 25, 2011
- Blast rocks Japanese nuclear power plant, reactor container not damaged - Mar 12, 2011
- '50 percent Indian kids suffer from iodine deficiency' - Oct 21, 2010
- UN asks China to suspend resettlement of Tibetan nomads - Feb 01, 2012
- Astronomical observatory to come up in Tibet - Apr 13, 2012
- Will Japan's radiation leak reach India? - Mar 21, 2011
- Low iodine levels in teen girls put future babies at risk - Apr 26, 2011
- All Tibet news media to be bilingual in five years: Officials - Nov 13, 2011
- Southeast Asia to give health issues more priority - Sep 09, 2011
- Countries roll out preventive measures (To go with 'Will Japan's radiation leak reach India?') - Mar 21, 2011
- Engineered fungus to be a potent tool against malaria - Feb 28, 2011
- Tibetan plateau facing environmental degradation: Report - Sep 05, 2011
- Powerful quake hits Indonesia, no tsunami - Nov 14, 2011
- India to promote iron rich salt to check malnutrition - Apr 20, 2011
- Tokyo tap water found to have radioactive iodine beyond Japan's regulated standards - Mar 20, 2011
Tags: barley, beck, beijing, doctors, fungus, health authorities, health risk, iodine intake, joints, local government, local health, medical survey, plateau, rare bone disease, relocation, southwest china, staple food, tibet region, xinhua