Pellagra
Pellagra is a disease caused by a lack of the vitamin niacin. Symptoms include inflamed skin, diarrhea, dementia, and sores in the mouth. Areas of the skin exposed to either sunlight or friction are typically affected first. Over time affected skin may become darker, stiff, begin to peel, or bleed.
What is pellagra and what causes it?
Pellagra is a disease caused by low levels of niacin, also known as vitamin B-3. It’s marked by dementia, diarrhea, and dermatitis, also known as “the three Ds”. If left untreated, pellagra can be fatal. While it’s much less common than it used to be, thanks to advancements in food production,...
Is diarrhea a sign of pellagra?
Diarrhea can lead to dangerous dehydration, and it can cause malnutrition over time, as it can affect the absorption of nutrients from food. It is also often the first symptom of pellagra to appear.
What are the symptoms of pellagra and dermatitis?
Dermatitis related to pellagra usually causes a rash on the face, lips, feet, or hands. In some people, dermatitis forms around the neck, a symptom known as Casal necklace. Additional dermatitis symptoms include: In some cases, the neurological signs of pellagra appear early on, but they’re often hard to identify.
Can Crohn's disease cause pellagra?
Some conditions can prevent the absorption of dietary niacin or tryptophan and lead to pellagra. Inflammation of the jejunum or ileum can prevent nutrient absorption, leading to pellagra, and this can in turn be caused by Crohn's disease.
Does niacin cause diarrhea?
Niacin and Health Studies have shown that they can increase HDL cholesterol and lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. However, negative side effects (skin flushing, stomach upset, diarrhea) usually accompany the supplements, resulting in poor compliance from patients.
What happens in pellagra disease?
Pellagra is a systemic disease caused by a severe deficiency of niacin (vitamin B3). It affects the whole body and can eventually lead to death. Primary pellagra is caused by a lack of niacin in your diet. It usually occurs in poor and food-limited populations.
What vitamin deficiency causes pellagra diarrhea dermatitis dementia death?
Pellagra is defined by the systemic disease resulting from niacin deficiency, and it is characterized by diarrhea, dermatitis, dementia, and death, which usually appear in this order.
What is the pathophysiology of pellagra?
Pellagra is a rare disease caused by niacin deficiency or a disruption of its metabolism. Its manifestations are dermatitis with pronounced photosensitivity, gastrointestinal symptoms, and neuropsychiatric ailments.
How does pellagra affect the digestive system?
Pellagra affects three organ systems in the body: the GI tract, skin, and nervous system (hence the mnemonic of “three Ds”: diarrhea, dermatitis, and dementia). The chief GI symptoms are anorexia, diarrhea, stomatitis, and abdominal discomfort.
What are the characteristics of pellagra?
Symptoms of pellagra include: Delusions or mental confusion. Diarrhea. Weakness.
Which organ system is first affected by pellagra?
Pellagra is a disease caused by a lack of the vitamin niacin (vitamin B3). Symptoms include inflamed skin, diarrhea, dementia, and sores in the mouth. Areas of the skin exposed to either sunlight or friction are typically affected first.
What are the 3 D's of niacin deficiency?
It is characterized by dermatitis, diarrhea, dementia, and eventually death if not treated by giving niacin. This is why it is called the 3 D syndrome, or 4 Ds disease.
What does b2 deficiency cause?
Riboflavin deficiency can cause fatigue, swollen throat, blurred vision, and depression. It can affect the skin by causing skin crack, itching, and dermatitis around the mouth. Hyperemia and edema around the throat, liver degeneration, and hair loss can also occur along with reproductive issues.
What does vitamin pantothenic acid do?
What is pantothenic acid and what does it do? Pantothenic acid (also called vitamin B5) helps turn the food you eat into the energy you need. It's important for many functions in the body, especially making and breaking down fats.
Which vitamin is responsible for occurrence of pellagra?
Pellagra is a condition that occurs due to a lack of vitamin B-3, otherwise known as niacin. It can cause many symptoms, but the most common are diarrhea, dermatitis, and dementia. Without diagnosis and treatment, pellagra can be life threatening.
Where is pellagra most commonly found?
Pellagra is common in poor parts of the world, such as Africa and India, where corn (or maize) is a staple food. This is because corn is a poor source of tryptophan and niacin. In the United States, pellagra was prevalent in the early 1900's in the South where corn played a large role in the diet.
What causes B3 deficiency?
Niacin (vitamin B3) deficiency results in a condition known as pellagra. Pellagra includes the triad of dermatitis, dementia, and diarrhea and can result in death. Niacin deficiency can occur through genetic disorders, malabsorptive conditions, and interaction with certain medications.
Who is most affected by pellagra?
Goldberger noted that children between the ages of 6 and 12 (but not older or younger children at the orphanages) and patients at the mental hospitals (but not doctors or nurses) were the ones who seemed most susceptible to pellagra.
What type of disease is pellagra?
Pellagra is a nutritional disorder caused by niacin (vitamin B3) deficiency, which leads to systemic disease with clinical manifestations from the skin, gastrointestinal tract and the nervous system.
What are the risk factors of pellagra?
What are the risk factors for pellagra?Alcoholism.Anorexia nervosa.Diets high in corn.Digestive disease.Low dietary intake of tryptophan (needed to produce niacin in the body)
What is the cause of pellagra?
Pellagra is a condition that occurs due to a lack of vitamin B-3, otherwise known as niacin.
How to treat pellagra?
People can treat primary pellagra by eating a diet rich in niacin. Meat, eggs, fish, and legumes, such as peas and lentils, are high in niacin. .
What is pellagra in nutrition?
Definition. Pellagra is a disorder that occurs when a person does not get enough niacin, or vitamin B-3. There are two types of pellagra: primary and secondary. Primary pellagra comes from not getting enough niacin in the diet, whereas secondary pellagra develops when the body is unable to absorb niacin. There is niacin in animal proteins, fruits, ...
What causes secondary pellagra?
Some conditions, such as alcohol use disorder and HIV, stop the body from absorbing niacin and can cause secondary pellagra.
Why does pellagra go undetected?
However, alcohol-induced pellagra often goes undetected because its presentation is similar to that of alcohol-withdrawal delirium.
Can you get pellagra from a diet?
A person who cannot absorb vitamin B-3, despite having a diet rich in niacin, may develop secondary pellagra. A significant risk factor for secondary pellagra is alcohol use disorder.
Is pellagra a serious condition?
Pellagra is a serious condition that can severely affect a person’s quality of life and health, potentially leading to death. It is vital to see a doctor if the symptoms of pellagra appear.
