Resumen de The aetiology of the Spanish Toxic Syndrome: interpretation of the epidemiological evidence

R. Doll

• español

  La enfermedad (el «Síndrome Tóxico») que tuvo unos 20,000 afectados en el centro y noroeste español durante el verano de 1981 no había sido previamente descrita por la ciencia mé- dica. La investigación de la causa ha llevado a diferentes personas a concluir que existía una substancia tóxica en algunos lotes de aceite que se vendían de forma ambulante. Sin embargo, los estudios de laboratorio no han sido capaces de demostrar toxicidad en las muestras recogidas ni podido identificar agentes químicos que pudieran causar la enfermedad, y la conclusión de que el aceite era el agente responsable se basaba básicamente en la evidencia epidemiológica. El objetivo de este informe fue revisar la evidencia epidemiológica para averiguar si esa conclusión era justificada o si era necesario considerar la posibilidad de alguna otra causa.

• English

  The disease (the «Spanish Toxic Syndrome») that caused some 20,000 people to be ill in Central and North West Spain in the summer of 1981 had not previously been known to medical science. Research into the cause of the disease has led many people to conclude that there was a toxic substance in some batches of oil that were sold for human consumption by street vendors. Laboratory studies have, however, failed to demonstrate toxicity in any of the samples that were recovered, no specific chemical that might have caused the disease has been identified, and the conclusion that the oil was responsible rests primarily on the epidemiological evidence.

  The purpose of this report was to review the epidemiological evidence to see whether the conclusion is justified or whether the possibility of some other cause needs to be considered.