Abstract
This study compared the occurrence of skeletal fluorosis in chronic consumers of locally brewed alcoholic beverages and their matched controls in the Ethiopian Rift Valley. The study revealed that chronic alcohol consumers developed severe forms of crippling skeletal fluorosis quite early in life. The controls were either symptom-free or exhibited mild forms of the fluorosis. The study showed that crippling skeletal fluorosis was directly associated with the large volumes of the locally brewed beer and honey-mead consumption on a daily basis. Chemical analysis of the alcoholic beverages showed that high concentration of fluoride which was much higher than the fluoride in the water was used for the brewing process. From this study one would conclude that in communities residing in high fluoride areas, there should be awareness creation campaigns to point out the relationship of excessive consumption of locally brewed alcoholic drinks and skeletal fluorosis. Regulations should also be put in place to require producers of local alcoholic beverages to use low fluoride water for brewing.
Highlights
The Ethiopian Rift valley, a part of the Great African Rift Valley, dissects the country from North to South
This study has identified yet another risk factor that may be important in the development of skeletal fluorosis in the Ethiopian Rift Valley
This study shows that excessive long term consumptions of locally alcoholic beverages brewed in high fluoride waters promoted and accelerated the development of skeletal fluorosis in person residing in fluorosis endemic areas
Summary
The Ethiopian Rift valley, a part of the Great African Rift Valley, dissects the country from North to South. The Rift Valley is associated with high fluoride levels in ground waters where deep wells are the major source of drinking water supply. By far the highest fluoride levels were recorded in the Rift Valley, where 33.3% of all samples collected from Rift Valley deep wells exceeded the 1.5% mg/L level [3]. The high fluoride drinking waters have led to the major public health problem of endemic fluorosis in the Rift Valley. Available data put the prevalence of skeletal fluorosis in Ethiopia at 40% - 50% among the inhabitants of the high fluoride areas of the Rift Valley [5,7]
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