Posted on April 7, 2008 in Latest News
Beriberi is a disease caused by the deficiency of Vitamin B1 (Thiamine). There are two major types of beriberi:
Wet beriberi affects the cardiovascular system.
Dry beriberi and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome affect the nervous system
It is common in people whose diet consists mainly of polished white rice, which is very low in thiamine because the thiamine-bearing husk has been removed. It is also seen in chronic alcoholics with an inadequate diet, as well as being a rare side effect of gastric bypass surgery.
A less common form of cardiovascular, or wet beriberi, is known as “shoshin.” This condition involves a rapid appearance of symptoms and acute heart failure. It is highly fatal and is known to cause sudden death in young migrant laborers in Asia whose diet consists of white rice.
Infantile beriberi is seen in breastfed infants of thiamine-deficient mothers, who live in developing nations.
Symptoms
Symptoms of dry beriberi include:
Pain
Loss of feeling (sensation) in hands and feet
Muscle damage with loss of muscle function or paralysis of the lower legs
Vomiting
Strange eye movements (nystagmus)
Mental confusion/speech difficulties
Difficulty in walking
Coma
Symptoms of wet beriberi include:
Swelling of the lower legs
Increased heart rate
Lung congestion
Enlarged heart related to congestive heart failure
Shortness of breath with activity
Awakening at night short of breath
Treatment
Treatment with thiamine reverses the deficiency in the body and relieves most of the symptoms. Severe thiamine deficiency is treated with high doses of thiamine given by injection into a muscle or in a solution that goes into a vein for several days. The cardiovascular symptoms of wet beriberi can respond to treatment within a few hours if they are not too severe. Infantile beriberi is treated by giving thiamine to both the infant and the breast feeding mother until levels are normal.
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