Tag: Nutritional disorders

With prompt treatment, many beriberi symptoms can improve remarkably quickly, sometimes within hours or days of thiamine administration. The overall timeline for a complete cure, however, varies significantly depending on the severity and type of beriberi, ranging from weeks to several months.

According to the World Health Organization, pellagra remains endemic in certain regions where limited diets are common. This condition, the disease due to vitamin B3 deficiency, can cause severe and widespread symptoms if left untreated.

According to the World Health Organization, zinc deficiency is a global health risk, affecting an estimated two billion people worldwide. While mild deficiency is more common, a severe inherited form exists, which is a lethal genetic disorder caused by deficiency of zinc, known as Acrodermatitis Enteropathica (AE).

Over three million cases of pellagra and 100,000 deaths were estimated in the Southern United States during an epidemic in the early 1900s. This severe nutritional disorder, caused by a deficiency of vitamin B3 (niacin) or its precursor tryptophan, is known as pellagra, the correct answer to the question posed.

Historically, pellagra was responsible for over 100,000 deaths in the American South, a time when many lacked niacin due to poor diet. This once-common and devastating condition is caused by a severe vitamin B3 deficiency, profoundly affecting multiple body systems, including the skin, digestive tract, and nervous system.

Globally, hundreds of thousands of children become blind each year due to vitamin A deficiency, which is often caused by an inadequate intake of carotenoids like beta-carotene. This condition, known as carotene deficiency, occurs when the body lacks sufficient provitamin A carotenoids needed to produce adequate amounts of retinol, or active vitamin A.

Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies worldwide, while iron overload, particularly hereditary hemochromatosis, is one of the most common genetic disorders in people of Northern European descent. Despite both involving iron, these conditions are polar opposites, with vastly different causes, symptoms, and health consequences.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the daily upper limit for selenium intake for adults is 400 mcg. When intake exceeds this, it can lead to excess selenium, or selenosis, for which the primary treatment involves immediate cessation of the source and supportive care.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), malnutrition is responsible for nearly half of all deaths in children under five globally. Among the most severe forms are marasmus and kwashiorkor, two distinct diseases caused by protein-energy malnutrition (PEM). While both are devastating, understanding the specific differences between marasmus and kwashiorkor disease is crucial for proper diagnosis and effective treatment.

First described in 1903, Marchiafava-Bignami disease (MBD) is a rare neurological disorder often linked to chronic alcoholism and severe malnutrition. This devastating condition is primarily driven by a significant deficiency in B-complex vitamins, particularly thiamine, leading to progressive demyelination and necrosis of the brain's corpus callosum.