Beriberi

A nutritional disorder resulting from a lack of thiamine (vitamin B) in the diet. Without thiamine, the brain, nerves, and muscles (including the heart muscle) are unable to function properly. In developed countries, the illness is seen only in people who are starving or on an extremely restricted diet, such as alcoholics. There are 2 forms of the illness. In dry beriberi, thiamine deficiency mainly affects the nerves and skeletal muscles. Symptoms include numbness, a burning sensation in the legs, and muscle wasting. In severe cases, the patient becomes virtually paralysed, emaciated, and bedridden. In wet beriberi, the main problem is heart failure, which leads to oedema (swelling caused by fluid accumulation) in the legs, and sometimes also in the trunk and face. Other symptoms of wet beriberi include poor appetite, rapid pulse, and breathlessness. Beriberi is treated with thiamine, given orally or by injection.