By: Riya Sharma, S1h

CONTENTS

Beri Beri

Rickets

Scurvy

Goitre

Anaemia

Marusmus

Kwashiorkor

Night Blindness

BERI BERI

Beriberi refers to a cluster of symptoms caused primarily by a nutritional deficit in Vitamin B1.

Symptoms of beriberi include weight loss, emotional disturbances and pain in the limbs. Dry beriberi causes wasting and partial paralysis resulting from damaged peripheral nerves. Wet beriberi affects the heart and circulatory system.

Rickets is a disease of bones. In children suffering from rickets, bones become soft and hence get bent and deformed. In adult become brittle and can get fracture easily. Rickets is caused due to deficiency of vitamin D and calcium.

Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C. the symptoms are swelling and bleeding gums and wounds. In the year 1747, A doctor named James Lind discovered that if sailor suffering from scurvy, were given lemons and oranges, the disease could be easily cured.

A goiter is  a  swelling  of  the  neck or larynx resulting  from  enlargement  of  the thyroid  gland  (thyromegaly),  associated  with  a thyroid gland that is functioning properly or not.Worldwide,  over  90.54%  cases  of  goiter  are caused  by iodine.  The most  common  symptom is  swelling  in  the  neck.  Children  suffering  from this disease shows slow or retarded physical and mental growth.

Anemia  is a decrease in number of red blood cells (RBCs) or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. Most commonly, people with anemia report feelings of weakness, or fatigue, general malaise, and sometimes poor concentration. They may also report dyspnea (shortness of breath) on exertion. In very severe anemia, the body may compensate for the lack of oxygen-carrying capability of the blood by increasing cardiac output.

Marusmus is a disease in children caused by deficiency of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. The children become so thin that the loose folds of skins can be seen all over the body.

Kwashiorkor is a disease caused by protein deficiency in children. The stomach becomes swollen, the legs become thin and the skin show ugly patches. If the disease is not treated in time, the mental and physical growth of the child slows down.

Night Blindness, also called nyctalopia ,  failure of the eye to adapt promptly from light to darkness that is characterized by a reduced ability to see in dim light or at night. It occurs as a symptom of numerous congenital and inherited retinal diseases or as a result of vitamin A deficiency.  Vitamin A deficiency, causes night blindness that is usually not severe, and vision most often recovers when adequate levels of the vitamin are administered.