Beriberi: Causes, Types, Prevention, Diagnosis, Treatment

Beriberi is a serious life-threatening disorder that can occur when a person has a lack of Vitamin B1 or thiamine. The deficiency of this nutrient can cause damage to the nervous system and can also lead to heart diseases. In this article, we will discuss Beriberi, Causes of Beriberi, Types of Beriberi, Diagnosis, Prevention and Treatment. 

Beriberi 

Beriberi is a condition that occurs due to nutritional deficiencies. The deficiency of vitamin B1 in the human body causes this condition. Thiamine is a crucial component that humans get from their food. Thiamine deficiency disorder is another name for it. Thiamine drains quickly in the body, which is one of the reasons Beriberi is such a deadly disease. If this disease is ignored and mistreated, it can develop into a life-threatening nutritional deficiency. Women who experience a lot of nausea, pregnant women, and persons who have AIDS are all at a high risk of contracting this condition.

Causes of Beriberi

• Vitamin B1 deficiency: 

Beriberi is caused by a vitamin B1 deficiency. According to recent studies, this condition is becoming increasingly rare since all types of food are becoming vitamin-enriched nowadays.

• Alcohol: 

People who are heavily addicted to alcohol are at risk of malnutrition. If the body is unable to absorb Vitamin B1, it can result in body weakness.

• Genetic: 

It is classified as a hereditary condition in some circumstances. If the mother's body is deficient in vitamin B1, it might pass to the new body born's through breastfeeding. As a result, young babies are at risk of contracting the condition.

Types of Beriberi

There are two different types of beriberi- dry beriberi and wet beriberi. Both the conditions have different symptoms. Below are discussed types with symptoms and prevention.

Dry Beriberi- 

Dry beriberi is a condition that affects the function of the nerves. Muscle strength is also diminished, which might result in paralysis. Dry beriberi is defined as an illness characterized by neuropathy.

Symptoms of Dry Beriberi

Following are the symptoms of dry beriberi-

• Strange eye movement: Eye movements that are unusual can also be observed in dry Beriberi.
• Vomiting: Vomiting is a problem for some people.
• Loss of sensation: Because their muscles stop working, people begin to lose sensation in their feet and hands. This is seen as a symptom of paralysis.
• Problem in walking: Walking might be tough in this condition because it weakens the body.
• Difficulty in speaking: It is possible that people will have difficulties speaking.

Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is also linked to beriberi. This is a type of brain injury caused due to a lack of thiamine.

The thalamus and hypothalamus of the brain are damaged in Wernicke encephalopathy. The following are some of the symptoms that occur as a result of this:

• Confusion
• Muscular coordination loss
• Memory loss issues with eyesight loss

The memory-forming area of the brain is damaged in Korsakoff syndrome. As a result, you may have symptoms such as:

• Loss of memory
• Having trouble establishing new memories due to hallucinations

Wet beriberi- 

This type of illness has a negative impact on the heart. It also has an impact on the organs of the circulatory system. If taken carelessly, it might cause a heart attack and other heart diseases that are considered to be exceedingly detrimental to one's health. Wet beriberi is defined as a disease characterized by cardiomegaly and cardiomyopathy.

Symptoms of Wet Beriberi

Following are the symptoms of wet beriberi-

• In this type of sickness, the lower legs begin to swell.
• Insomnia is another symptom of this illness.
• Weakness worsens, causing breathing difficulties.
• This causes a sudden increase in heart rate.

Diagnosis of Beriberi

This condition can be detected by a variety of methods. Various medical practitioners have indicated that beriberi is detected by a battery of medical tests and physical examinations.

• Differences in walking speed, diminished reflexes, and coordination issues are also tested.
• Breathing and lung problems are being tested.
• The lower legs are inspected to see whether there is any edema.
• To determine thiamine levels in blood cells.
• Variations in a heartbeat and cardiac hypertrophy are also checked by examinations or testing.
• This condition can also detect through urine and blood tests.

Prevention of Beriberi

• Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet is very important.
• If a patient is addicted to alcohol, decreasing alcohol usage or entirely quitting will minimize the condition of developing beriberi.
• Beans, cereals, milk, and milk products, eggs, fish, legumes, meat, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and certain vegetables, such as acorn, asparagus, beet greens, brussels sprouts, green leafy vegetables, squash, and tomatoes are all rich in vitamin B1 or thiamine.

Treatment of Beriberi

• Beriberi is treated in a natural way.
• This disorder can be healed by increasing the daily intake of vitamins in the diet and replacing the thiamine level in the blood cells.
• Thiamine supplements that are taken orally or as a shot (injection) are used to treat patients.
• Patients are also given follow-up blood tests to see how effectively the body is absorbing the vitamin in addition to the food and drugs.

Things to Remember Based on Beriberi

• Beriberi is a condition that is caused by a lack of nutrients.
• The deficiency of vitamin B1 in the human body causes this condition.
• Thiamine is an important component that humans get from their food.
• Thiamine deficiency disorder is another name for Beriberi
• Thiamine drains quickly in the body and it is one of the reasons that Beriberi is considered such a deadly disease.
• If this disease is ignored and mistreated, it can develop into a life-threatening nutritional deficiency.
• Women who experience a lot of nausea, pregnant women, and persons who have AIDS are all at a high risk of contracting this condition.
• There are two types of Beriberi- Dry Beriberi and Wet Beriberi.
• Dry beriberi is a condition that affects the functioning of the nerves. 
• Wet beriberi has a negative impact on the heart and the organs of the circulatory system.