EN
The first case of spontaneous cracking of the thoracic and or abdominal arteries due to lathyrism (poisoning with crusted field beans) was described in Poland. The figures illustrate histopathological and structural changes in the wall of the vessels. It was found that the strafication between collagenic fibres and elastic ones as well as the presence of vitreous hyaline were the main cause of arteries cracking. Morphological lesions were accompanied by a decrease of Cu content in the liver of turkeys, which unfavourably influenced the synthesis of lipids, neutral triglycerides and LDL-C fraction linked with cholesterol, ie. compounds accumulated on the wall of the altered vessels.