[Describing neurolathyrism. Physicians and the lathyrism epidemic in post-civil war Spain]. / Describiendo el neurolatirismo. Los clinicos ante la epidemia de latirismo en la Espana de la posguerra.

INTRODUCTION: Lathyrism is a chronic disease involving spastic paralysis of the lower limbs caused by the prolonged consumption of large amounts of flour made from grass pea, or almorta as it is known in Spain. In Spain it became an epidemic in the early post-civil war years, and this gave rise to a series of studies and clinical descriptions of unquestionable medical and historical interest. DEVELOPMENT: This paper analyses the clinical reports of patients with lathyrism during the above-mentioned epidemic in order to stress the importance of the symptoms and the neurological examination in identifying new cases and in controlling them. One interesting feature that stands out is how uniform these descriptions are, except in the initial phase of the disease, where certain differences have been reported depending on the epidemic area. Likewise, the (typical and atypical) prodromal symptoms, the classic symptoms of the disease and the so-called residual symptoms are all described. CONCLUSIONS: The lathyrism epidemic that occurred in Spain in the years 1941-1943 resulted in a series of clinical descriptions with very detailed accounts of the signs and symptoms written by the Spanish physicians who treated those patients. These reports constitute a valuable historical and clinical contribution on the subject of a disease that has been eradicated in west but is still endemic in other parts of the world.

Describiendo el neurolatirismo. Los clínicos ante la epidemia de latirismo en la España de la posguerra / Describing neurolathyrism. Physicians and the lathyrism epidemic in post-civil war spain

Summary. Introduction. Lathyrism is a chronic disease involving spastic paralysis of the lower limbs caused by the prolonged consumption of large amounts of flour made from grass pea, or almorta as it is known in Spain. In Spain it became an epidemic in the early post-civil war years, and this gave rise to a series of studies and clinical descriptions of unquestionable medical and historical interest. Development. This paper analyses the clinical reports of patients with lathyrism during the above-mentioned epidemic in order to stress the importance of the symptoms and the neurological examination in identifying new cases and in controlling them. One interesting feature that stands out is how uniform these descriptions are, except in the initial phase of the disease, where certain differences have been reported depending on the epidemic area. Likewise, the (typical and atypical) prodromal symptoms, the classic symptoms of the disease and the so-called residual symptoms are all described. Conclusions. The lathyrism epidemic that occurred in Spain in the years 1941-1943 resulted in a series of clinical descriptions with very detailed accounts of the signs and symptoms written by the Spanish physicians who treated those patients. These reports constitute a valuable historical and clinical contribution on the subject of a disease that has been eradicated in west but is still endemic in other parts of the world (AU)

Resumen. Introducción. El latirismo es una enfermedad crónica producida por el consumo excesivo y continuo de harina de almorta (Lathirus sativus), que cursa con parálisis espástica de los miembros inferiores. En España adquirió un carácter epidémico en los primeros años de la posguerra, lo que dio lugar a una serie de investigaciones y descripciones clínicas de indudable interés histórico-médico. Desarrollo. Se analizan las descripciones clínicas realizadas sobre los pacientes con latirismo durante la mencionada epidemia con el fin de destacar la importancia de los síntomas y de la exploración neurológica en la identificación de nuevos casos y en el control de éstos. Se destaca la uniformidad de dichas descripciones, salvo en la fase de inicio de la enfermedad, respecto a la cual se han comunicado algunas diferencias en función de la zona epidémica. Se identifican, asimismo, los síntomas prodrómicos (típicos y atípicos), los síntomas clásicos de la enfermedad y los denominados síntomas residuales. Conclusiones. La epidemia de latirismo que tuvo lugar en la España de los años 1941-1943 dio lugar a una serie de descripciones clínicas de una gran ‘finura’ semiológica por parte de los médicos españoles que trataron a estos pacientes, lo que constituye una aportación de relevancia histórica y clínica en torno a una enfermedad erradicada en el mundo occidental, pero endémica en otras zonas del planeta (AU)