BERIBERI

BERIBERI

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Thiamine (vITAMIN B1) Deficiency, called Beriberi, has been known to western medical science since the seventeenth century. Recognized first in the Orient, beriberi has been associated with a deficiency of thiamine. It commonly appears when the diet exclusively consists of polished rice. Cases are occasionally encountered in the United States, particularly in infants and in alcoholics.Beriberi is rare in developed countries because most foods are now vitamin-enriched. Excluding the presence of arsenic in the environment (e.g. well water) one can get enough thiamine by eating a normal, healthy diet. Today, beriberi occurs mostly in patients who abuse alcohol. Drinking heavily can lead to poor nutrition, and excess alcohol makes it harder for the body to absorb and store thiamine.


Three main types of this disease are identified. A chronic form called “dry beriberi” causes tenderness in the calf muscles and weakness in the legs. The acute form, “wet beriberi”, is characterized by cardiovascular changes, with edema, congestion of the lungs, and heart failure. In alcoholics,the brain damage may be irreversible. Beriberi in infants continues to be a health problem in the Far East, where a child may lose his voice, develop heart failure, or gastrointestinal changes with vomiting and constipation. Adequate nutrition for the breast-feeding mother is particularly important for its prevention.


The therapeutic response to Thiamine in infants and adults with beriberi involving the heart is dramatic. A rapid transition, however, should be made from vitamin supplementation to a diet containing adequate wheat germ, rice polishings, or whole grain cereals. This disease is entirely preventable, and reflects one of many conditions following the wake of the industrial revolution.


Beriberi is rare in developed countries because most foods are now vitamin-enriched. Excluding the presence of arsenic in the environment (e.g. well water) one can get enough thiamine by eating a normal, healthy diet. Today, beriberi occurs mostly in patients who abuse alcohol. Drinking heavily can lead to poor nutrition, and excess alcohol makes it harder for the body to absorb and store thiamine.