Citation

Johnson CR, Porter SG, Coats D, Whitfield KC, Mengkheang K, Topazian MD, Fischer PR. Glob. Pediatr. Health 2017; 4: 2333794X17702980.

Affiliation

Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/2333794X17702980

PMID

28491925

PMCID

PMC5406147

Abstract

Thiamine deficiency and beriberi are prevalent in Cambodia, although most infants with nonspecific clinical symptoms of beriberi, including tachypnea, lack echocardiographic evidence diagnostic of the disease. Camphor activates transient receptor potential vanilloid 3 (TRPV3), a nonselective ion channel expressed in the medial preoptic nucleus of the hypothalamus and thought to be important for thermo-sensitivity. Because camphorated ointments are used commonly among Cambodian infants, we hypothesized that topical camphor modulates thermoregulatory behaviors, causing beriberi-simulating tachypnea, separate from any influence of thiamine deficiency. We assessed 9 tachypneic and 10 healthy infants for Tiger Balm use and for presence of camphor in whole blood. However, no camphor was found in blood from any infants, indicating that camphor is unrelated to tachypneic illness in Cambodian infants.

Language: en

Keywords

beriberi; camphor; child nutrition disorders; poisoning; thiamine deficiency