Angiolathyrism is a form of

Lathyrism Lathyrism is a condition caused by eating certain legumes of the genus ''Lathyrus''. There are three types of lathyrism: '' neurolathyrism'', '' osteolathyrism'', and '' angiolathyrism'', all of which are incurable, differing in their symptoms a ...

disease. It is mainly caused the consumption of '' Lathyrus sativus'' (also known as ''grass pea'') and to a lesser degree by '' Lathyrus cicera'', '' Lathyrus ochrus'' and ''

Lathyrus clymenum ''Lathyrus clymenum'', also called Spanish vetchling, is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to the Mediterranean. The seeds are used to prepare a Greek dish called fava santorinis. The plant is cultivated on the island of Santori ...

''"Medical problems caused by plants: Lathyrism"
at ''Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine'' online database containing the

toxin A toxin is a naturally occurring organic poison produced by metabolic activities of living cells or organisms. Toxins occur especially as a protein or conjugated protein. The term toxin was first used by organic chemist Ludwig Brieger (1849 ...

ODAP Oxalyldiaminopropionic acid (ODAP) is a structural analogue of the neurotransmitter glutamate found in the grass pea '' Lathyrus sativus''. It is the neurotoxin responsible for the motor neuron degeneration syndrome lathyrism. Sources ODAP is fo ...

. The main chemical responsible is β- Aminopropionitrile, which prevents collagen cross-linking, thus making the blood vessel, especially the

tunica media The tunica media (New Latin "middle coat"), or media for short, is the middle tunica (layer) of an artery An artery (plural arteries) () is a blood vessel in humans and most animals that takes blood away from the heart to one or more parts o ...

, weak. This can result in Cystic medial necrosis or a picture similar to

Marfan syndrome Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a multi-systemic genetic disorder that affects the connective tissue. Those with the condition tend to be tall and thin, with long arms, legs, fingers, and toes. They also typically have exceptionally flexible joints a ...

. The damaged vessels are at an increased risk of

dissection Dissection (from Latin ' "to cut to pieces"; also called anatomization) is the dismembering of the body of a deceased animal or plant to study its anatomical structure. Autopsy is used in pathology and forensic medicine to determine the cause ...

. Unlike

osteolathyrism Osteolathyrism, sometimes referred to as odoratism, is a form of the disease Lathyrism. The disease results from the ingestion of '' Lathyrus odoratus'' seeds (sweet peas). The toxin found in the sweet peas is ( beta-aminopropionitrile), which a ...

, the blood vessels are affected instead of bone. However it is caused by similar action and is typically associated with the other forms of lathyrism.

References

{{Reflist Toxic effect of noxious substances eaten as food Neurological disorders