What is beriberi and its symptoms?

Symptoms of dry beriberi include: Difficulty walking. Loss of feeling (sensation) in hands and feet. Loss of muscle function or paralysis of the lower legs. Mental confusion/speech difficulties.

What do you mean by beri beri?

Beriberi is a deficiency of thiamin, more commonly known as vitamin B1. Your body needs thiamin to break down and digest the foods you eat, to keep your metabolism going, and help your muscles and nervous system do their jobs effectively. Beriberi can affect the cardiovascular system or central nervous system.

What causes beri beri?

Beriberi is a disease caused by a vitamin B1 deficiency, also known as thiamine deficiency. It often occurs in developing countries among people with a diet that consists mostly of white rice or highly refined carbohydrates.

Who is at risk for beriberi?

Beriberi is observed in developed nations in persons with alcoholism, people on fad diets, persons on long-term peritoneal dialysis without thiamine replacement, persons undergoing long-term starvation, or persons receiving intravenous fluids with high glucose concentration.

What foods contain b1?

Food Sources

  • Fortified breakfast cereals.
  • Pork.
  • Fish.
  • Beans, lentils.
  • Green peas.
  • Enriched cereals, breads, noodles, rice.
  • Sunflower seeds.
  • Yogurt.

What foods should you eat if you have beriberi?

Dietary thiamine

  • Whole-grain foods.
  • Meat/fish/poultry/eggs.
  • Milk and milk products.
  • Vegetables (ie, green, leafy vegetables; beets; potatoes)
  • Legumes (ie, lentils, soybeans, nuts, seeds)
  • Orange and tomato juices.

3 days ago

How long does beriberi last?

When patients have progressed to this stage, the degree of damage is only minimally reversible. In cases of wet beriberi, clinical improvement can be observed within 12 hours of treatment, with normalization of heart function and size occurring in 1 or 2 days.