Vitamin Deficiency Symptoms And Skin Lesions

Vitamin deficiencies are probably as old as humankind; symptoms of vitamin A deficiency were recognized and documented in ancient Egypt. Today we tend to think of vitamin deficiencies as a thing of the past, and the average physician confronted with a skin problem might not immediately think of a lack of vitamins as being the source of the difficulty. But vitamin deficiencies can cause skin lesions and other skin problems.

Vitamin Deficiency

The symptoms related to vitamin deficiency can be as varied as the vitamins. Lack of vitamin D, for example, can cause rickets --- softened, bowed bones --- in children, and osteomalacia, a form of bone softening, in adults. Inadequate vitamin A is responsible for night blindness. Vitamin B-12 deficiency usually results in symptoms of the blood, gastrointestinal and nervous systems. Many vitamin deficiencies may also manifest as skin lesions, as well, including vitamins A and B-12.

Vitamin B12 and Vitamin A

In one case reported from the April 2008 "Canadian Family Physician," Rajendran Kannan, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at the Saveetha Medical College, described a 34-year-old woman who developed skin lesions characterized by excess skin pigment in both feet. Blood tests revealed a low serum B-12 level and after supplementation with injectable B-12, the lesions improved.

While vitamin A deficiency is best known as a cause of night blindness, it also impairs immunity and the formation of blood cells and can cause skin rashes. The skin can become dry, thick and scaly --- the deficiency can even affect the mucous membranes.

Niacin and Riboflavin

Niacin deficiency, while uncommon in developed countries, was once a source of pellagra in the American South. Pellegra was often caused by heavy intake of corn, which tends to be low in niacin. A pigmented rash is one of the primary symptoms of pellegra, and lesions can even develop in the shape of a glove or boot on the hands or feet. In addition, exposure to sunlight causes pigmentation around the neck --- known as Casal's necklace --- and butterfly-shaped lesions on the face.

Riboflavin deficiency, however, is characterized by red, scaly and greasy dermatitis in the folds of the nose, ears, eyelids or genital area; these can sometimes become infected with yeast, which produces grayish white lesions.

Considerations

In short, vitamin deficiencies can cause many physical symptoms, and a number of them appear in the skin. It you think you may have a vitamin deficiency, you should discuss it with a health care professional.

Vitamin Deficiency Symptoms and Skin Lesions