Human Vitamin Deficiency Disease

Researchers discovered vitamins, organic compounds essential to life, beginning in the early 1900s and they became known in relation to the disease that occurred in the case of a deficiency. Vitamin deficiency diseases cause symptoms ranging from simple nausea to permanent deformities. To avoid vitamin deficiency disease, eat a healthy diet full of fruits, vegetables and whole grains to meet the daily recommended intake of each vitamin as listed by the National Institutes of Medicine Food and Nutrition Board.

Scurvy

A vitamin C deficiency causes a disease known as scurvy. Scurvy causes general weakness, anemia, and a rash caused by tiny skin hemorrhages. The human body needs vitamin C to produce collagen -- the structural protein necessary for skin, bones and connective tissues. Scurvy was commonly seen in sailors who spent months at sea until they discovered that eating citrus fruits such as lemons and oranges prevented the disease. Scurvy rarely occurs in developed countries. People with intestinal diseases that interfere with the absorption of foods may also get scurvy. Adult men require 90 mg of vitamin C per day, while women need 75 mg per day.

Rickets

Rickets is a disease that affects children who suffer from a vitamin D deficiency. The human body needs vitamin D to promote the absorption of calcium -- the mineral used to build bones and teeth. Rickets causes delayed growth, pain in the bones and muscle weakness, which can lead to deformities such as bowed legs, a curved spine, thick wrists and breastbone projection. Children need 5 mcg of vitamin D per day to avoid this deficiency disease.

Beriberi

A deficiency in thiamine, also known as vitamin B-1, causes beriberi. Two types of beriberi exist; wet beriberi, which affects the cardiovascular system, and dry beriberi, which affects the nervous system. Symptoms of dry beriberi include difficulty walking, loss of sensation and muscle control, pain, mental confusion, vomiting and tingling. Wet beriberi causes shortness of breath, increased heart rate and swelling in the outer extremities. Thiamine is naturally found in whole grains, but food manufacturers fortify many foods, including breads and cereals, with thiamine. Adult men should get 1.2 mg per day and women need 1.1 mg per day to avoid a deficiency.

Pellagra

A deficiency in vitamin B-3, also known as niacin, causes pellagra. The symptoms of pellagra include inflamed mucus membranes, diarrhea, scaly skin sores, mental confusion and delusions. Pellagra affects alcoholics, people with intestinal diseases and those who suffer from malnutrition. The best natural sources of niacin include sunflower seeds, peanuts and fish, but many other foods, including breads and cereals, are fortified with niacin. Adult men should get 16 mg per day, while women require 14 mg per day.

Human Vitamin Deficiency Disease

Scurvy

Rickets

Beriberi

Pellagra

References

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