Konzo is a foodborne illness caused by improperly processed cassava, which naturally contains cyanide. The illness causes permanent paralysis of the legs and other symptoms. Traditional cassava processing methods remove the cyanide content, but in times of drought or hunger, shortcuts may be taken. The Cassava Cyanide Diseases & Neurolathyrism Network in Africa promotes a processing method that efficiently reduces the cyanide content.
Konzo is a form of foodborne illness. The cassava plant is part of people’s diet in some African countries, but the plant naturally contains cyanide. If processed improperly, the cyanide content can cause permanent paralysis of the legs and other symptoms that are indicative of konzo.
The roots of the cassava plant are the edible parts and people in places like Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique grind the roots into cassava flour. A porridge, known as ugali, is made from this flour. Traditional cassava processing methods remove the cyanide content.
In situations where food is scarce due to drought, cassava is an important source of energy, as the plant is resistant to low water availability. Hunger may also encourage cooks to cut corners in manioc processing. The risk of Konzo can also increase in dry spells as the cyanide concentration in the roots can increase.
Cyanide poisoning can be fatal. It can also cause diarrhea and vomiting, along with headaches and dizziness. The form of cyanide poisoning that Konzo takes is permanent paralysis of the legs due to damage to the motor neurons of the central nervous system. Other symptoms may also be present.
Paralysis appears a few weeks after the person eats cassava with a high cyanide content. He or she may also have problems with vision or difficulty speaking or moving their arms and hands. Legs may also feel tingly and feet feel cold. Some symptoms may improve over time, with the risk of recurring episodes, but the paralysis is permanent. Konzo patients, however, may be able to walk with the help of crutches.
A disease that can be confused with konzo is tropical spastic paraparesis. It causes a similar crippling condition, but has no relation to ingesting cassava. It is actually caused by T-cell lymphotrophic virus type 1 (HTLV-1).
A form of processing that efficiently reduces the cyanide content of cassava is promoted by the Cassava Cyanide Diseases & Neurolathyrism Network (CCDNN) in Africa. This process involves adding water to cassava and leaving it to spread out in a thin layer for two hours in the sun, or five hours out of the sun, before using it to make cassava porridge. The cyanide in the plant evaporates as hydrogen cyanide gas, after which the CCDNN says the cassava is then fit for consumption.
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