Abstract
Between 1972 and 1989 nearly 900 people in China accidentally contracted food poisoning from the consumption of mildewed sugarcane (1,2). As a consequence, 88 people died and many of the survivors developed encephalopathy and dystonia. The victims were mainly children and it is unclear whether children show an increased susceptibility to the poisoning or whether they simply consumed larger amounts of the sweet sugarcane as compared to the adults. Most victims developed an acute illness characterized by nausea, abdominal pain, seizures, convulsions, and temporary coma (up to 20 d). Some of the patients fully recovered with no permanent damage. Others developed neurological damage in the basal ganglia and a dystonic movement disorder. The dystonia included symptoms such as spasms, jerklike movements, facial grimacing, and speech disturbances.
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Alexi, T., Faull, R.L.M., Hughes, P.E. (2000). Variable Susceptibility to Neurotoxicity of Systemic 3-Nitropropionic Acid. In: Sanberg, P.R., Nishino, H., Borlongan, C.V. (eds) Mitochondrial Inhibitors and Neurodegenerative Disorders. Contemporary Neuroscience. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-692-8_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-692-8_9
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