Vitamins and nutrients are critical to your health and help your body function properly. A vitamin deficiency causes a multitude of physiological issues. Your body produces some nutrients on its own, while others come from your diet. Biotin is a vitamin your body relies on for many functions, including hair and nail growth. A genetic error prevents your body from absorbing biotin, leading to a deficiency.
Function
Biotin, or vitamin H, is a water-soluble vitamin and part of the B-complex family that plays important roles in your health.Biotin helps produce energy from food by metabolizing carbohydrates and fats. Biotin is needed for your hair, skin, nails and eyes to remain healthy and is often an ingredient in over-the-counter hair and nail strengthening formulas. Biotin is important for embryonic growth and a critical nutrient during pregnancy. It also helps your nervous system perform optimally.
Deficiency
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, biotinidase deficiency is a rare, inherited disorder characterized by skin disorders, bald spots, hearing loss, visual disturbance, developmental delays and seizures. Individuals from Saudi Arabia make up the largest group affected by biotin deficiency. Another rare disorder, holocarboxylase synthetase deficiency, alters biotin metabolism, leading to deficiency.
Symptoms
According to the Linus Pauling Institute, symptoms of deficiency are wide ranging. Due to its relationship to hair, skin and nail health, common deficiency symptoms include dermatitis, hair loss and brittle nails. Since biotin helps metabolize fats, cholesterol levels can become elevated in the presence of a biotin deficiency. Other deficiency symptoms include nausea, muscle pain, lethargy, scaly rash and hypoglycemia.
Treatment
Early recognition and prompt treatment is crucial in biotin deficiency. Avidin, a protein found in eggs, binds to biotin, preventing its absorption. If you have biotin deficiency, your doctor will instruct you to avoid eggs. Depending on the severity of your deficiency, treatment will vary, but may consist of daily or weekly intramuscular biotin injections.
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