Objective To determine the thyroid hormone concentrations in preschool children in the Kasin-Beck disease (KBD) endemic area so as to explore the etiology of KBD. Methods Children of 1-6 years old in Naidang village,Jinchuan county, Sichuan Province, China were included. Physical examination was performed, personal history and medical history were collected, and blood samples were drawn for the determination of thyroid hormones. Results Blood samples were successfully collected from 14 children. Of them, 57.14% showed decreased TT3 levels, and 85.71% demonstrated decreased FT3 levels. All children showed significantly lower TT3 and FT3 average levels than the reference average value (P lt;0.000 01). The TT4, FT4and TSH levels were within the normal range. Conclusion Most children in the KBD endemic area showed lower T3 levels, which may act as a key factor for cartilage hypogenesis. It is suggested that a decreased TT3 level be one of the indicators for the assessment of KBD preventative effect, early monitoring and diagnosis of preclinical or subclinical stage of KBD.
Objective To explore the etiological mechanism of Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) and? the changes of bone on X-ray photography in preschool children in the KBD endemic area. Methods Children of 1-6 years old in Naidang village of Jinchuan county, Sichuan province, China were included; and their wrist and knee joints X-ray photos were collected. The photos were bl indly diagnosed. Results Of the 22 children aged 1-6 years old in the village, 17 were included and another 3 aged 6-8 years old asked for examination. All children showed changes in bone metaphysis around wrist or/and knee joints based on the results of X-ray examination. Conclusion The 20 children in mild type KBD area show common changes in bone metaphysis This result coincides with our hypothesis that hypoplastic cartilage should occur in the population of preschool children in the KBD endemic area.