Beriberi – Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Beriberi is a nutritional deficiency that is caused by a deficiency of vitamin B1 or thiamine. Beriberi mainly affects the cardiovascular system and central nervous system. Beriberi mainly happens to those individuals whose diet is not rich in vitamin B group. Broadly there are two types of Beriberi known as wet and dry beriberi. In this article, we will look into the types, causes, signs, symptoms, and treatment of beriberi.

Definition of Beriberi

Beriberi is a type of nutritional deficiency that is caused by a lack of vitamin B1 or thiamine in diet or food and it mainly affects the cardiovascular and nervous systems.

What is Beriberi?

A nutritional deficiency that is caused by the deficiency of vitamin B1 or thiamine is known as Beriberi. The central nervous system and cardiovascular system are most impacted by Beriberi. The majority of people who get Beriberi are those whose diet is deficient in vitamin B group. Thiamine is required for various physiological and biological activities to be performed correctly including digestion of food, muscle contraction, nervous system functioning especially CNS, cardiovascular health, etc. Wet and dry Beriberi are the two general categories of Beriberi.

Who Is Most Susceptible to Beriberi?

Beriberi can happen to anyone who does not consume enough amount of vitamin B1 in their diet or people who are involved in below listed activities:

1. Breastfed infants can be at risk of getting Beriberi.
2. People who consume a large amount of alcohol.
3. Consuming high amount of carbohydrates.
4. Extreme physical exercise.
5. Hypothyroidism can inhibit the thiamine absorption in body.
6. People taking diuretics can be at the risk of developing Beriberi.

Types of Beriberi

Beriberi are classified into four categories based on symptoms:

1. Wet Beriberi

Wet Beriberi is also known as cardiovascular Beriberi as it affects the cardiovascular system. It can be fatal sometimes as it causes weakening of capillaries present in heart wall which results in heart failure.

Signs and Symptoms

• Increased heart rate
• Dyspnea
• Edema (Peripheral)
• Vasodilation

2. Dry Beriberi

It is also known as endemic neuritis. It affects the nervous system mainly central nervous system. It damages the nerves causing paralysis. Three types of dry beriberi are Wernicke’s encephalopathy (WE), Korsakoff syndrome (also known as alcohol amnestic illness), and Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome.

Signs and symptoms

• Inability to walk
• Loss of sensation in hands and feet
• Muscle weakness
• Loss of muscle functioning
• Loss of tendon reflexes functioning
• Vomiting
• State of confusion

3. Infantile Beriberi

Infantile beriberi is usually not common but it occurs to infants of 2 to 6 months of age and are breastfed by mother who has a vitamin B1 deficiency. In the acute type, the infant experiences cyanosis and dyspnea before passing away from heart failure.

Sign and Symptoms

• Vomiting
• Weight loss
• Hoarseness
• Diarrhoea
• Edema
• Pale skin
• Rapid heart rate

4. Gastrointestinal Beriberi

It is characterized by the pain in the stomach.

Sign and Symptoms

• Stomach ache
• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• Lactic acidosis

Signs and Symptoms of Beriberi

There are many symptoms of Beriberi but they can be classified on the basis of type of Beriberi. In general symptoms of Beriberi are:

1. Weakness
2. Weight loss
3. Emotional Disturbance
4. Edema
5. Irregular heartbeats
6. Pain in the limbs

Causes of Beriberi

There are various causes by which Beriberi occurs and here are some listed below:

1. Inadequate diet or thiamine deficient diet especially in Asia.
2. Excess consumption of alcohol.
3. Dialysis.
4. Consumption of diurectic medication.
5. Genetic disease such as thiamine responsive megaloblastic anemia syndrome (TRMA) with diabetes mellitus and sensorineural deafness.

Diagnosis of Beriberi

To diagnose Beriberi we have to determine the level of thiamine or vitamin B1. So for that there various tests available and some of them are listed below:

1. Detection of enzyme transketolase in erythrocytes via erythrocytes transketolase activation assay.
2. Detection of thiamine and it derivatives in blood and tissues via thiochrome assay.

Treatment of Beriberi

Beriberi can be treated very rapidly in some cases but in some cases it can take time, like in nervous Beriberi. It can be treated by giving vitamin B1 tablets and for fast recovery it can be injected intravenously. Thiamine uptake can be increased with thiamine rich diet like:

• Sunflower seeds
• Beans
• Cereals rich in thiamine
• Pork
• Fish
• Yogurt

Prevention of Beriberi

Beriberi can be prevented by the following:

1. The key to preventing beriberi is diet.
2. Beriberi is caused by a diet deficient in thiamine, or vitamin B1.
3. A diversified diet makes it easy to meet the daily need of thiamin-rich foods.
4. Although the liver is where the body stores thiamine, it is not sufficient to avoid a deficit.
5. For males and females, respectively, the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for thiamine is 1.2 milligrams and 1.1 milligrams per day.
6. In order to account for the increased risk of deficiency during pregnancy, the RDA is raised to 1.4 milligrams at that period.

FAQs – Beriberi

1. What is Beriberi and its Symptoms?

Beriberi is a type of nutritional deficiency that is caused by a lack of vitamin B1 or thiamine in diet. Wet Beriberi shows symptoms like increased heart rate and leg swelling, while dry Beriberi includes difficulty walking, numbness, paralysis, mental confusion, speech problems, pain, or vomiting.

2. Why is it called Beriberi?

Beriberi is a term from the Sinhalese for ‘extreme weakness’. It involves a progressive degeneration of long nerves in dry beriberi, starting in the legs and extending to the arms, causing muscle atrophy and loss of reflexes.

3. Which Deficiency causes Beriberi?

Beriberi results from a deficiency of thiamine, also known as vitamin B1. Thiamine is essential for breaking down and digesting food, sustaining metabolism, and supporting the effective functioning of muscles and the nervous system in your body.

4. What are the two Types of Beriberi?

Beriberi manifests in two primary forms. Wet beriberi impacts the cardiovascular system, leading to poor circulation and tissue fluid buildup. On the other hand, dry Beriberi focuses on the nervous system, causing nerve degeneration.

5. What is Beriberi also known as?

Beriberi, or thiamine deficiency, results from an insufficient amount of thiamine pyrophosphate the biologically active form of the vitamin known as thiamine (also spelled thiamin) or vitamin B1.