Epidemic outbreak of arsenic neuropathy in south-western Extremadura in 1978. Federico González Dorrego (1946-2015): pioneer of Extremaduran neurology

J. M. Ramírez-Moreno
Neurosciences and History 2023;11(2):81-96

Type of article: REVIEW

AUTHOR

J. M. Ramírez-Moreno^1,2,3
1Department of Neurology. Hospital Universitario de Badajoz, Badajoz, Spain.
²Department of Biomedical Sciences. Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain.
³Instituto Universitario de Investigación Biosanitaria de Extremadura (INUBE).

ABSTRACT

Arsenic is a xenobiotic metalloid with several toxic mechanisms, affecting practically all tissues and organs, including the nervous system. In 1978, an outbreak of arsenic poisoning in south-western Extremadura due to adulterated wine affected over 300 people, 11 of whom died. The incident offered an opportunity for the clinical, pathophysiological, and neuropathological analysis of an exceptional series of 94 patients with arsenic neuropathy at Residencia Sanitaria de Badajoz. This study was reported in a doctoral thesis displaying commendable technical ability and great scientific rigour, but did not lead to the publication of additional works to further disseminate the findings. In terms of sample size and homogeneity, the patient series studied was one of the best in the scientific literature of the time, and contributed a substantial improvement on the existing knowledge of the disease. This historical review aims to raise awareness of the work of Prof González Dorrego, with a brief summary of the exciting history of arsenic, and the recent literature on its metabolism and the specific mechanisms by which it alters metabolic and cellular function, which are essential to understanding its neurotoxic effects.

KEYWORDS

Arsenic, food poisoning, neurotoxicity, peripheral neuropathy, neurophysiology, neuropathology

Neurosciences and History 2023;11(2):81-96