4th INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON PHOSPHATE
STRASBOURG, FRANCE, JUNE 22 – 24
Abstract
NUTRITION AND THE BACK
A hypothesis on the etiology and pathogenesis
of idiopathic scoliosis.
- Bergengren, Department of Pathology, University of Umeå, Sweden.
- Idiopathic scoliosis which mainly occurs during the rapid growrth process of adolescence has become the exclusive concern of orthopedic surgery in spit of early and substantial evidence of the connection between this illness and rickets which is a metabolic disease caused by lack of vitamin D and/or phosphate. Spinal weakness in the form of kyphosis and lordosis was a common part of the disease complex a long as phosphorus deficiency was frequent in cattle Because of the upright position of the human body, the effect effect is instead a lateral deviation.
- Adolescents’ diet is often found lacking in protein and thus also in minerals.
- By feeding such a diet to laboratory animals, rickets and scoliosis were produced.
- Common to scoliosis and the hypoplhosphataemic rickets-os teomalacia complex are osteopeni, osteoPorosi s and muscle atrophy.
- Common to scoliosis and protein deficiency diseases are negative nitrogen balance, low serum’ albumin, increased growth hormone, increased excretion of amino acid, disturbed amino acid balance.
- Disturbed protein metabolism also effects the col lagen which is enfeebled so that the ligaments of the vertebra column give way to the weight of the upper body.
- Scoliosis starts with a 1–tent period which can be diagnosticated, permitting treatment that can arrest the process.
Table I: Etiologic and pathologic parallels between the rickets-osteomalacia complex and scoliosis (wit kyphosis and lordosis).
Table II: Pathologic changes in the structure and metabolism of the protein, common to phosphorus deficiency protein deficiency and idiopathic scoliosis.
Harald Bergengren
Department of Pathology
University of Umeå
S-901 87 UMEÅ
Sweden
