Kashin-Beck Disease (Osteoarthropathy Associated with a Mixed Deficiency in Selenium, Iodine and Other Nutrients)

 

Synonym: "big bone disease"

 

Distribution: China, Tibet, Siberia and elsewhere where soil is poor

 

Clinical features:

(1) osteoarthropathy with limitations in joint range of motion

(2) hypothyroidism

(3) growth retardation in children

(4) physical disability secondary to joint involvement

 

The cause appears to be a mixture of:

(1) selenium deficiency (selenium is essential for iodothyronine deiodinase, which converts thryoxine to triiodothyronine)

(2) iodine deficiency

(3) protein malnutrition

(4) deficiency in other nutrients

(5) exposure to environmental toxins (such as the mycotoxin moniliformin)

 

Adequate nutrition with supplementation in selenium and iodine has significantly improved the health of people living in affected regions.