RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To report the clinical manifestations and analytical findings in an epidemic outbreak of acute food poisoning with clenbuterol. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The clinical manifestations, physical examination findings and results of complementary tests are reported of fifteen patients performed by veal liver contaminated with clenbuterol. The clinical course of patients at 72 hours is reported. A quantitative measurement of clenbuterol in urine specimens from patients and in a veal liver specimen was performed by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). RESULTS: The male/female distribution of patients was 7/8 respectively, with age ranging from 6 to 44 years. Symptoms appeared after 30 minutes to 2 hours of having ingested veal liver in 93% of cases. Patients presented at the Emergency Department with tremors, palpitations, anxiety, malaise, nausea, and pruritus as the most common complaints. On physical examination tachycardia was noted in 100% of cases. The analytical data included mild hypokaliemia (66%) and leukocytosis (28%). Only one patient required hospital admission on account of an hypertensive crisis. After 72 hours, 67% of patients were asymptomatic. The remaining patients had mild symptoms which included headache, myalgia, asthenia and anorexia. Serum potassium values returned to normality (p < 0.05). Urine measurements of clenbuterol were positive for all analyzed cases (50 +/- 42 ng/ml). The concentration of clenbuterol in a veal liver sample was 500 ppb. CONCLUSION: Clenbuterol poisoning should be suspected when symptoms of adrenergic hyperstimulation occur after the ingestion of meal, usually liver. Common symptoms include tachycardia and mild hypopotasemia. Diagnosis is confirmed by quantitative measurement of clenbuterol in urine. Most patients improve spontaneously shortly afterwards.
Asunto(s)
Agonistas Adrenérgicos beta/envenenamiento , Clenbuterol/envenenamiento , Brotes de Enfermedades , Contaminación de Alimentos , Adolescente , Adulto , Niño , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Carne , Intoxicación/diagnóstico , Intoxicación/epidemiología , EspañaRESUMEN
The methodology used to build a software program to compute the nutrient composition of menus and diets is discussed. Topics as the variability of food composition, the scarcity of local food composition data, the bias that may be incurred in nutrient data of food consumption studies are extensively discussed and also the possible solution through the software program. All of these topics must be taken into account in epidemiological studies as well as in computing diet composition.
Asunto(s)
Dieta/métodos , Planificación de Menú/métodos , Fenómenos Fisiológicos de la Nutrición , Programas Informáticos , Bases de Datos Factuales , Análisis de los Alimentos , Humanos , Necesidades Nutricionales , Valor Nutritivo , Diseño de Software , EspañaRESUMEN
We have revised the most common food composition tables published in Spain, France, Germany, England and the United States of America. In this article we have collected information concerning the points that may describe the size, format, numbers of items and numbers of nutrients in each table, so it can help professionals to know which of them may suit his needs properly.