Geological environment characteristics and etiology research on Kaschin-Beck disease in China

Abstract：Kaschin-Beck disease (KBD) is an endemic disease with many influencing factors. There are lots of hypotheses on KBD, but its etiology remains unclear. This paper elucidates the characteristics of regional distribution and dynamic changes of KBD in China, discusses the natural and geological environment characteristics and etiology research status. Based on a review on the hypotheses of the KBD etiology, the authors consider that KBD results from the compound effect of multiple factors. Selenium deficiency is the environmental background factor, toxin related to human body in the environment is the main controlling factor, and the disproportion of major and trace elements is an influencing factor. It is suggested that in the etiology research we should attach much importance to the macro and micro analysis combination and the multi-science combination, especially to the medicine and geoscience combination.