[Ciguatera: eight imported cases].

Introduction: Ciguatera poisoning is a clinical syndrome associated to consumption of marine fish with toxins as ciguatoxin, maitotoxin, scariotoxin, palytoxin and okadaic acid, produced by dinoflagellates present in seas with coral reefs. It has a wide distribution in tropic ans sub-tropic areas.
Material and Methods: We review the clinical records of 8 patients diagnosed of ciguatera from 1993 of 2001. Diagnosis was based on clinical picture and the antecedent of eating fish from endemic area.
Results: All patients were travelers, and all showed neurological symptoms, as parestesias and paradoxical dysesthesia. Five patients received treatment with intravenous mannitol, with fast improvement.
Discussion: Travelers to danger zones, mainly Caribbean area, Indic Ocean and Pacific Ocean regions, should be noticed about the risk of ciguatera.