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- What is beri beri?
- Symptoms of beri beri
- Causes of beri beri
- Prevention of beri beri
- Risk factors for beri beri
- Complications of beri beri
- When to see a doctor about beri beri
- Diagnosis of beri beri
- Conventional treatment of beri beri
- Alternative/complementary treatment of beri beri
- Living with beri beri
- Caring for someone with beri beri
Beri beri is a condition of the nervous system caused by a lack of vitamin B1 (thiamin) in the diet.
Beri beri (also written beriberi) is a nutritional deficiency disease that only occurs when the diet is severely deficient in vitamin B1 (thiamin) over a long time.
In addition to being a nutritional deficiency disease, beri beri can be due to a genetic disorder which causes the body the not be able to absorb vitamin B1 from food, which is inherited from the parents.
There are two types of beri beri:
- Dry beri beri (endemic neuritis) - this type can affect the nervous tissue in the peripheral nervous system (it is also known as Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome)
- Wet beri beri - this type affects the heart and cardiovascular system and can sometimes be fatal
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Some facts about Beri Beri
- Beri beri is basically non-existent in many parts of the world, because many foods that are processed are also normally enriched with vitamin B1 (thiamin)
- Beri beri is a nutrition deficiency disease which is caused by a lack of vitamin B1 (thiamin) in the diet
- People who drink excessively can be at risk of beri beri because they may not eat enough food
- Wet beri beri is very serious and can be fatal if it goes on undiagnosed for a long time
- Dry beri beri is not as serious, but it can still cause a number of symptoms
- Beri beri occurs more frequently in East Asian countries because they eat a lot of milled (white) rice, which has had most of the vitamin B1 (thiamin) removed, as it is in the outer coating of the rice
- Babies whose mothers have any type of vitamin B1 (thiamin) deficiency can develop and infantile form of beri beri
- Vitamin B1 (thiamin) was isolated in 1934
- Beri beri is also written as beriberi
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2: symptoms > Last reviewed: 3 January 2009 || Last updated: 21 January 2010
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NOTE: Mega doses of any type of vitamin, mineral, amino acid or herbal supplement cannot cure illnesses and in fact can be very dangerous and produce toxic side effects and interfere with medicine you are taking. Always ensure you consult your doctor before taking any type of complementary supplements.
Disclaimer: This guide is not intended to be used for diagnostic or prescriptive purposes. For any treatment or diagnosis of illness, please see your doctor.
