Medically reviewed by Holly McCain. Last updated on May 26, 2025
General Illness Information:
Description: Vitamin deficiency (avitaminosis, beriberi) is a disease caused by a severe shortage of vitamins in the body, which leads to serious consequences, sometimes, fatal diseases.
Causes:
- Insufficient intake of vitamins with food, malnutrition, inadequate or poor-quality nutrition;
- Violation of the digestive process or disruption of the work of organs related to digestion;
- Taking antivitamins, for example, drugs used in the treatment of high blood coagulability;
- Features of children’s metabolism;
- Features of metabolism in the elderly.
Signs and Symptoms:
- Dry scaly skin, inflammation in some of its areas, ulcers in the corners of the mouth, cracking lips, coarse scales of the epidermis;
- Fragile layered nails, spots and strips on the nail plate;
- Swelling and redness of eyelids, tearing, intolerance of bright light (photophobia), double vision, decreased quality of vision;
- Bleeding gums, crumbling and loose teeth, discoloration of the tongue, its swelling, plaque on the tongue;
- Swelling of the face and hands not associated with alcohol abuse, various pickles, spices and marinades;
- Convulsions, numbness, muscle pain, poor coordination of motion;
- Changed or increased body odor;
- Constant feeling of cold;
- Irritability, insomnia, depression, apathy, lack of energy, weakness;
- Failure in the digestive system: constipation, diarrhea, nausea, loss of appetite, weight gain;
- Lack of sexual desire.
Treatment:
- Vitamin complexes.
The selection of vitamins for beriberi is selected by a nutritionist, depending on the clinical signs. Modern vitamin complexes can be in the form of tablets, dragees, lozenges, capsules, powders and liquid form.
Doctors recommend taking vitamins in the form of capsules. they are made in such a way that as they move in the digestive organs, vitamins are gradually absorbed by the body, providing it with the necessary dose of nutrients the entire way.
Diet:
Treatment of avitaminosis is not difficult, if it is caused by malnutrition. A person just needs to adjust his diet: eat as many cereals as possible (the best option is oatmeal and buckwheat), try to cook foods with minimal culinary processing. When eating bakery products, you should give preference to wholemeal flour. You’d better use unrefined oil. Eat more fresh vegetables and fruits.
Do not refuse products of animal origin. The required daily amount of vitamin A is contained in the yolks of chicken eggs, beef liver, fish oil. An excellent source of necessary vitamins are sour-milk products (yoghurt, fermented baked milk), which also contain a lot of calcium.
If you need to treat vitamin C deficiency, you should eat more foods that contain vitamin C: citrus fruits, apples, red and black currants, sauerkraut.
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