Favism, with special reference to Iran.

Fava beans (Vicia fava) are cultivated rather widely in most countries of the Eastern Mediterranean area and provide a cheap but protein-rich food that can be eaten alone, in various culinary preparations, including bread, or as a dietary supplement. However, the ingestion of fava beans may induce a haemolytic disease-favism-in some susceptible individuals and this might appear to limit the use of this pulse crop in those regions where favism occurs frequently. The uses of fava beans in Iran, the characteristics of favism and the present state of knowledge of the pathology of the disease are reviewed in this paper. Although some progress has been made in identifying the toxic substances and in explaining their mode of action, our understanding of favism is still limited. It appears that the disease is seen particularly in young children and is associated with a deficiency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) in the blood.