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Thiamine deficiency is a medical condition of low levels of thiamine (vitamin B 1). [1] A severe and chronic form is known as beriberi. [1] [7] The name beriberi was possibly borrowed in the 18th century from the Sinhalese phrase බැරි බැරි (bæri bæri, “I cannot, I cannot”), owing to the weakness caused by the condition.
Believing the problem to be a poison in the mother's milk, they required that each baby be exclusively bottle-fed until the mother's treatment had been completed. Vedder and Chamberlain cured 15 infants whose mothers had symptoms of beriberi by supplementing each mother's milk with an extract of rice polishings and allowing nursing to continue.
The diagnosis is based on observing the patient and finding the constellation of symptoms and signs described above. A few blood tests help, by showing signs of long-standing inflammation. There is no specific test for the disease, though now that the gene that causes the disease is known, that may change. [citation needed]
Wernicke encephalopathy (WE), also Wernicke's encephalopathy, [1] or wet brain is the presence of neurological symptoms caused by biochemical lesions of the central nervous system after exhaustion of B-vitamin reserves, in particular thiamine (vitamin B 1). [2]
Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, fatigue, and sore arms and legs. [1] [2] Without treatment, decreased red blood cells, gum disease, changes to hair, and bleeding from the skin may occur. [1] [3] As scurvy worsens, there can be poor wound healing, personality changes, and finally death from infection or bleeding. [2]
Infantile cortical hyperostosis is a self-limited condition, meaning that the disease resolves on its own without treatment, usually within 6–9 months. Long-term deformities of the involved bones, including bony fusions and limb-length inequalities, are possible but rare. [citation needed]
Kwashiorkor is a type of severe acute malnutrition (SAM). SAM is a category, composed of two conditions: marasmus and kwashiorkor. [9] Both kwashiorkor and marasmus fall under the umbrella of protein–energy malnutrition (PEM). [10]
Unlike some diseases, Thiamine deficiency or beriberi, is a treatable, preventable disease caused by the deficiency of vitamin B 1. [29] First seen in 1642 by the Dutch physician Jacobus Bontius, it was named for the Sinhalese word meaning weakness-weakness. [29] Beriberi is seen in two forms: wet and dry.