Projecten - Kashin-Beck Disease Fund asbl- vzw

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Curative health care & training

It started in October 1992, as a pilot project: 2 physio clinics were opened and doctors were trained on the spot. Following a positive evaluation in December 1993, the programme extended. In total, 65 physio clinics in 13 different counties of 6 prefectures were set up in 28 communities and 37 villages.
The main objectives of the programme were to decrease and treat the severe handicap of patients suffering of Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) and to introduce a new technique to the health workers and to train them.

Since November 93, several training courses had been organised in Lhasa for all the doctors. In total, 92 doctors of different levels were given the training. Most of them were village or community doctors, but also doctors of county and prefecture level were trained.

Every clinic received standard equipment, bought or locally made. In some villages, small clinics were build with the direct collaboration of the villagers.

Physical therapy study

It started in April 93 and was planned for 4 years. The data collection ended in March 97.

The study had 2 main objectives:

-          to demonstrate the impact of the physical therapy treatment on the handicap of the people suffering from KBD
-          to carry out a clinical and radiological description of this disease to complete the literature (never any study about KBD was carry out in Tibet).

Prevalence survey

The objective was to establish a map of KBD prevalence in the whole Tibet Autonomous Region. At present, all the endemic zones of KBD in T.A.R. are known and as well as the prevalence rate of almost each prefecture. These results were presented during the International Symposium on KBD and Related Disorders what took place in January 1999 in Beijing.

Epidemiological study

It was a study to confirm the 3 main risk factors described in the literature: selenium deficiency, the grains and their culture, the water. Six hundred children were enrolled in the study. They were from 5 to 15 years old, living in 12 rural villages of Lhasa prefecture.

* Selenium

Transversal study

The objectives were to characterize the KBD regarding its clinical, biochemical and radiological status and to identify KBD cases for a clinical trial of selenium supplementation.

Longitudinal study: Clinical trial of selenium supplementation

The objectives were to test the hypothesis of a relation between selenium deficiency and KBD. Following the results, to propose preventive measures.

* Grains and culture

The objectives were to test the hypothesis of a contamination of the grains during the harvest time and the storage period and to study the means of storage and the origin of the different grains. Following the results, to propose a preventive programme.

* Water

The objective was to verify the hypothesis that water is a risk factor for KBD because of organic materials (fulvic acid), some oligo-elements and minerals.

Prevention trial

Given the high public health impact of the disease in rural Tibet, and based on previous findings, it was hypothesised that a comprehensive prevention programme focused on a combination of defence and noxious factors will result in significant decrease of KBD in affected areas:

-          reducing fungal contamination of grains: optimal drying of grains before storage, improve storage conditions, seeds and plants disinfection
-          monitored iodine supplementation, in addition to the national iodine supplementation programme
-          antioxidant therapy : Vitamin C, Vitamin E, selenium supplementation as a combination
-          reducing organic content in drinking water : health education with regard to the use of drinking water from brooks or irrigation channels and to the use of appropriate water storage containers

The aim of this project was to assess the efficacy of different combinations of preventive measures on the evolution of KBD. It was implemented on the field the last 4 years (1998 – 2002).

Results

* Clinical and radiological signs of KBD increase with the age. The most frequent clinical signs are joint deformities and pain. Later on, there is also a mobility restriction, which can be very severe. The most affected joints are the ankles, the elbows and the knees.

* Selenium deficiency is extremely severe for the children but does not allow explaining the difference between cases and non-cases. The results of the selenium supplementation do not show any effect on the main symptoms and signs of Kashin-Beck either on growth or thyroid function once iodine deficiency has been corrected.

* All the children are also severely iodine deficient. KBD is correlated with this deficiency.

* Concerning the grains, there is a very strong correlation between the presence of 3 fungi in the barley grains and the KBD.There are 3 critical periods for the fungal contamination:

-          during the growth period of the plants, fungal contamination can occurred by infected seeds or by the field itself.
-          during the harvest time, when the bundles remain on the fields
-          after the harvest time, during the dryness of the grains, when they will be stored in bags.

Families with KBD have a higher % of dark barley grains in the samples collected in their houses, indicating a possible role of barley varieties; some varieties may be more sensitive to fungal contamination.

* Concerning the water, the KBD families use more frequently smaller water containers. The organic content (TOC) of the water in these containers was significantly higher than TOC in larger containers, suggesting that smaller containers do not allow sufficient time to deposit of organic matter.

* Children from families with higher income and higher access to different nutrients are relatively protected from the disease, probably reflecting the access to more diversified food and possibly other oxidants nutrients such as vitamin C or E.

In conclusion, the findings are compatible with the multifactorial environmental theory.

Part of these results, with more details, are published in different scientific reviews. If you want to read more: see § Publications

De effecten van een gecombineerde toediening van microvoedingsstoffen op de ziekte van Kashin-Beck in Tibet: een gerandomiseerd klinisch onderzoek.

De doel van de huidige gerandomiseerd klinische trial is het onderzoeken en evalueren van de effecten van de gecombineerde toediening van microvoedingsstoffen op het ontstaan en het verloop van de ziekte van Kashin-Beck . In de klinische trial zijn 1064 kinderen opgenomen tussen de leeftijden van 3 tot 10 jaar. Om ethische redenen kregen alle kinderen selenium toegediend en indien nodig Jodium.

Vervolgens werd de onderzoeksgroep verdeeld in twee subgroepen (jodium/selenium + toediening van microvoedingsstoffen versus jodium/selenium + placebo), dagelijks toegediend gedurende een periode van 3 jaar. De combinatie van microvoedingsstoffen bevat vitamine A, vitamine E, vitamine C, mangaan, zink en koper. Iedere 12 maanden zullen de kinderen gemonitord worden (klinische evaluatie) gedurende 3 jaar. De naleving wordt iedere 6 maanden gecontroleerd door urineonderzoek. Tussentijdse evaluaties vinden ieder jaar plaats om de achteruitgang en sterfte van de twee groepen te vergelijken. Aan het einde van het onderzoek, in november 2007, zal het optreden en de ontwikkeling van klinische parameters en de biologische status van KBD in beide groepen vergeleken worden.

Analyse en implementatie van maatregelen aangaande gezondheid, voeding en het milieu voor patiënten die lijden aan de ziekte van Kashin-Beck in de prefecturen van Lhasa, Lhoca en Shigatse. Autonome regio Tibet. P.R. China 2004-2007.

Doel van de projecten

- Bijdrage aan de verbetering van de nutritionele- en gezondheidsstatus van de populatie die leeft in de endemische gebieden van de KBD, en specifiek gricht op kinderen.

- Het implementeren op grote schaal van curative maatregelen hoofdzakelijk gebaseerd op het ontsmetten van granen

Voorgestelde maatregelen om de doelstellingen te bereiken

Het werk is onderverdeeld in tweedelen, ieder corresponderend met één van de twee hoofddoelen.

Deel A: Behelst een beknopte biologisch onderzoek dat er op gericht is eerdere klinische conclusies te bevestigen over de nutritionele status van kinderen die leven in endemische gebieden van Tibet (Ricketts’ ziekte, vitamine A tekort, pellagra, gebrek aan mangaan en andere spoorelementen en mineralen).

Tevens is er een opvolging van de geschiedenis van algemene ondervoeding gepland. Tergelijketijd wordt er eveneens nutritionele interventie uitgevoerd gebaseerd op vitamine A voorziening en de correctie van vitamine D tekort.

Surveillance en –nutritionele activiteiten zijn geintegreerd in de Moeder en Kind zorgactiviteiten. De activiteiten zijn vooral om dorpsartsen te trainen in de maandelijkse contrôle van zwangere vrouwen, vrouwen die borstvoeding geven, babies, kleuters en peuters; om dorps-artsen te trainen op het gebied vanbeslissings algoritmes (diagnose en behandeling) voor Moeder en Kind zorgen.; om trainingen te organiseren voor trainers en de supervisie van artsen.

Deel B: Behelst de implementatie van verschillende curative activiteiten om besmetting van granen te voorkomen gedurende de ganse agrarische cyclus. De maatregelen die worden genomen zijn desinfectie van zaden, verbetering van oogst- en opslagomstandigheden en educatieve activiteiten. Deze curativee activiteiten dienen permanent te worden gecontroleerd en geëvalueerd door ananlyse van de aanwezige schimmels. Deze vinden plaats in het KBD laboratorium in Lhasa.

Er is ook een onderzoekscomponent die gericht is op het vootzetten van eerdere opgstarte programma’s.. Analyses van schimmels, bodem en voedsel in andere endemische gebieden van China waar andere agrarische gewoonten bestaan, zijn ook in voorbereiding.

Enkele specifieke technieken zoals het composteren van de velden worden geïntroduceerd om de kwaliteit van de bodem te verbeteren, waarvoor eerst een expertise zal uitgevoerd worden.

Een nieuwe laboratoriumtechniek die minder tijd kost en minder gekwalificeerde mankracht behoeft zal nader worden getest.

Nutritional and Environmental Measures for Patients Suffering from Kashin-Beck Disease in Tibet Autonomous Region (P.R. China)

Since January 2009, KBDF has implemented and developed a three-section programme in two prefectures of the endemic area, benefiting people in hundred “natural” villages, dispatched over the Lhasa and Lhoca prefectures. The programme includes nutritional interventions benefiting the population, with a specific focus on children under five years of age suffering from Kashin-Beck disease, rickets and other disorders caused by nutrients deficiencies.

In order to have some concrete results in term of better growth of the children and changes of diet habits of the people in charge of children, the programme is planned for 6 years!

There are 3 sections in the project:

           1.             Child Nutrition Programme (CNP)

           2.             Food Diversification Programme (FDP)

           3.             Mycology Programme

1.            Child Nutrition Programme (CNP)

The main objective of the CNP is to prevent KBD in endemic areas, rickets and other bone diseases caused by nutrients’ deficiencies.

A secondary objective is to build growth curves through the collection and analysis of data and compare to WHO/international standards.

2.            Food Diversification Programme (FDP)

The FDP is designed to provide long term and sustainable ways for the population in KBD endemic areas to ensure proper diversification of their daily diet. The main objective of this action is to reduce the incidence due to a monotonous diet, thus contribute to a general nutritional improvement.

To reach this objective, different activities are implemented in the villages

                -       Vegetables garden and seeds distribution
                -       Seeds Bank
                -       Tibetan Nettle Project (Protinet)
                -       Greenhouses
                -       Plantation of Fruit Trees
                -       Local production of rape oil

3.            Mycology Programme

This programme started few years ago. The main objective is to reduce or to prevent the fungal contamination of the grains.

The different measures have to be implemented, checked and supervised until it becomes new agricultural habits.