Beriberi: Overview, Causes, Symptoms, Treatments, Topics

Low quantities of thiamine cause the medical disease known as thiamine deficiency (Vitamin B1). Beriberi is the name of a severe and persistent variation. Thiamine injections or oral supplements are used as treatment. Symptoms typically go away with treatment in a few weeks. Berberi is a topic in Biology and they carry a weightage of 2-3% in NEET and 4-5% in CBSE and other Paramedical Exams.

Historical context of Beriberi

Thiamine deficiency is known as beriberi commonly. This was first documented and recognised and remained in the same contacts for centuries. Early Chinese and Japanese texts have provided some of the first detailed accounts of these conditions found in the human body. Modern scientific understanding says that thiamine deficiency was largely shaped during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some more historical context about Beriberi is discussed below:

• Ge Hong (3rd Century) first described beri beri as a symptom of swelling weakness and numbness in the feet.

• Takaki Kanehiro (1883) discovered that this disease has a high rate among Japanese sailors and was first discussed as a diverse disease due to diet.

• Later on in 1901, Beriberi was identified as having deficiency syndrome by Gerrit Grijns.

• In 1929 Sir Frederick Hopkins and Eijkman were awarded the Nobel Prize for their contribution and understanding of beriberi and its importance to the vitamins.

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Signs and Symptoms

Beri beri is caused due to vitamin B1 deficiency that affects the nervous as well as cardiovascular systems of our body. It is found in different forms and each symptom has potentially life-threatening conditions.

• The general symptoms of beriberi include soreness, numbness, mental disorders, weight loss, a regular heartbeat and an increase in pyruvic acid levels.

• In dry beriberi, there is a fact on peripherals which leads to paralysis problems in walking and also cognitive difficulties.

• In brain beriberi, there are symptoms like mental instability memory loss and impaired brain functions which particularly happens in alcoholics.

• Affects the cardiovascular system during wet beriberi and the symptoms include high heart rate heart failure and breathlessness.

• Due to beriberi in the gastrointestinal area, there are causes and abdominal pain vomiting and also lactic Acid reflux.

Causes of Beriberi

Beriberi is caused by to deficiency of vitamin B1 which is important for energy metabolism. There can be several reasons for this syndrome and some of the common ones hour genetics, alcoholism and medical conditions. A few of them have been discussed below in the table:

Treatment of Berberi

Thiamine is a commonly used standalone treatment for beriberi. The healing process is quick and dramatic when thiamine is administered intravenously (and later orally). It may take several months of thiamine therapy for peripheral neuropathy to improve.

Prevention of Beriberi

An individual must include adequate Vitamin B1 in their diet to prevent beriberi. Generally speaking, thiamine deficiency is not a concern for someone who follows a balanced, healthy diet that prioritises whole foods.

Natural sources of thiamine in food include:

• Meat

• Nuts and seeds

• seafood,

• dairy products,

• beans and legumes

Additionally, producers fortify a variety of foods with vitamins, including thiamine, bread, morning cereals, and baked goods.

Types of Questions Asked from Beriberi

During exam preparation, different types of questions about the Beriberi are asked. The table below contains the different patterns of questions asked in different exams.

Tips, Tricks, and Strategies for Berberi

It takes effort to remember everything in a single go. We made the entire problem easy. Some of the tricks regarding Beriberi are given below which you can use to memorise the important points.

Causes of Beriberi

"PLANT: Polished rice, Lack of thiamine, Alcoholism, Nutrition deficiency, Thiamine malabsorption"

• P: Polished rice is a major dietary cause (low thiamine)

• L: Lack of thiamine in diet

• A: Alcoholism reduces thiamine absorption

• N: Nutrition deficiency or poor diet

• T: Thiamine malabsorption in gastrointestinal conditions

Symptoms of Beriberi

"WLN-HO: Weakness, Legs, Numbness, Heart, Oedema"

• W: Weakness (muscle weakness, paralysis)

• L: Legs and limb pain (numbness, tingling, trouble walking)

• N: Numbness and neurological signs

• H: Heart failure (high-output heart failure in wet beriberi)

• O: Oedema (swelling in wet beriberi)

Types of Beriberi

"WDI: Wet, Dry, Infantile"

• W: Wet beriberi (affects heart and circulatory system)

• D: Dry beriberi (affects nerves and muscles)

• I: Infantile beriberi (affects infants of malnourished mothers)

Diagnosis of Beriberi

"TET: Transketolase, Enzyme, Thiamine level"

• T: Transketolase enzyme activity test

• E: Enzyme activity to detect deficiency

• T: Thiamine levels in blood or urine

Prevention and Treatment of Beriberi

"TRI: Thiamine-rich foods, Rice unpolished, Injection or oral supplements"

• T: Thiamine-rich foods (meat, grains, vegetables)

• R: Rice unpolished (maintains thiamine content)

• I: Injection or oral supplements for treatment

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