Fibrosing Disorders: Eosinophilic-Myalgia Syndrome and Spanish Toxic Oil Syndrome Overview

Eosinophilic-Myalgia Syndrome Overview

Eosinophilic-myalgia syndrome (EMS) means having a high eosinophilia count with diffuse muscle pain. A study in 1989 discovered that three women in New Mexico, who presented with similar symptoms, were all taking a health food supplement as a sleeping aid at the time of being diagnosed with EMS. It was discovered that a Japanese company marketing L-tryptophan (contained in this sleeping aid) resulted in 37 deaths and over 1,500 people becoming disabled because of the supplement. L-tryptophan has since been removed from the market by the FDA (Eosinophilic-Myalgia Syndrome, National Eosinophilia-Myalgia Syndrome Network).

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EMS is an incurable condition with no specific testing to diagnose the disease. In fact, most patients are misdiagnosed with fibromyalgia, lupus, and other muscle-related debilitating diseases because of the similarities in signs and symptoms. Patients who suffered from the initial epidemic are still and will always need to be treated for EMS, as it does not go away.

Spanish Toxic Oil Syndrome Overview

Spanish toxic oil syndrome (TOS) is a rare epidemic that occurred in Spain in 1981-82 (in Madrid) when rapeseed oil (intended for industrial use) was being sold as olive oil in street markets. It wound up killing 450 people, and leaving countless numbers of other people debilitated, upwards of 20,000 people to be exact.

The characteristics of the disease were thought to be some type of lung infection with unusual features until it was realized that the presentation was restricted to certain localities, and while some neighbors were affected by TOS, others were not. This led to an action to allow individuals that purchased the rapeseed oil to exchange it for pure olive oil. This helped to stop the outbreak immediately.

Much like EMS, TOS causes a high eosinophilia count, along with major muscle movement impairment and pain (Toxic Oil Syndrome: The Perspective After 20 Years, Manuel Posada de la Paz, Rossanne M. Philen, and Ignacio Abaitua Borda, Oxford Journals 2001).

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Outlook for Both Diseases

Both diseases have had strong government intervention to prevent further outbreaks from occurring. The ongoing research is aimed at helping the affected individuals cope with their disease and provide better methods of treatment for them.

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