Vitamin B1 deficiency, also known as Beriberi, is a disease that causes skin edema and can cause dangerous complications if not diagnosed and treated promptly. Taking preventive measures and maintaining a reasonable diet will avoid the risk of this disease.
1. What is vitamin B1 deficiency?
Vitamin B1, also known as thiamine, is one of eight essential B vitamins that have many important functions in the body. This vitamin is used by most cells and is responsible for converting food into energy. Since the human body cannot produce thiamine, you must supplement this vitamin through many thiamine-rich foods such as meat, nuts and whole grains. If your diet does not have enough of these nutrients, it can lead to vitamin B1 deficiency (also known as beriberi). This is a beriberi disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin B1.
2. Causes of Beriberi and high-risk groups
The main cause of Beriberi is a diet lacking in Thiamin. This disease is common in areas where people have the habit of eating over-milled rice or rice that contains only about 1/10 of the Thiamin content of normal white rice such as brown rice.
In addition, other causes that can cause thiamin deficiency include:
- Infants who drink formula milk containing low levels of thiamin.
- Children with prolonged diarrhea are prone to thiamin deficiency.
- Children with genetic Beriberi: This is a very rare case when the body cannot absorb thiamin from food.
- Pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers with a diet poor in thiamin.
- People with hyperthyroidism.
- Alcoholics: The bodies of alcoholics will have difficulty absorbing and storing thiamin, which can easily lead to deficiency.
- The use of diuretics also leads to thiamin deficiency.
In addition, patients who have to undergo dialysis are also at high risk of developing Beriberi, due to the body’s lack of thiamine reserves.
3. What are the signs and symptoms of vitamin B1 deficiency?
Common symptoms of vitamin B1 deficiency include:
- Rapid weight loss.
- Loss of appetite.
- Colitis.
- Continuous digestive problems such as diarrhea.
- Nerve damage.
- Burning feet (especially severe at night).
- Inflammation of the nerves.
- Fatigue and low energy.
- Transient memory loss.
- Confusion.
- Irritation.
- Muscle weakness, muscle wasting, cramps, leg pain and stiffness.
- Mental changes such as lethargy or depression.
- Cardiovascular effects such as an enlarged heart.
The brain, heart, tissues and many other organs are affected by low vitamin B1 levels. High levels of vitamin B1 are commonly found in the muscles, bones, heart, liver, kidneys and brain. So what diseases does vitamin B1 deficiency cause? In fact, deficiency of this vitamin causes degeneration of peripheral nerves and parts of the brain, including the thalamus and cerebellum. In addition, deficiency can also reduce blood flow, cause vascular resistance, edema and dilate the heart muscle.
Symptoms of vitamin B1 deficiency (beriberi) are often initially silent and unclear, so they are often overlooked. The patient only feels tired, has a feeling of fatigue in the legs and a feeling of heaviness in the calves. In the evening, the legs are slightly swollen in the ankle area and numb, there is a tingling sensation like ants crawling in the calves, often have cramps, and sometimes feel the heart pounding. If left untreated, the disease will gradually get worse.
A common symptom of vitamin B1 deficiency is loss of appetite.
4. Levels of vitamin B1 deficiency
Beriberi is divided into 3 levels, specifically:
- Mild level: Patients have just lost or reduced sensation, reduced reflexes, mainly in the lower limbs. At this time, if treated, the disease will recover quickly.
- Moderate level: Patients lose sensation, lose tendon reflexes, have muscle weakness, have difficulty walking but have not yet had muscle atrophy or muscle atrophy is not clear.
- Severe level: Patients have edema of both lower limbs, loss of tendon reflexes, loss of sensation, muscle atrophy and cannot walk, can die from heart failure, especially in children.
5. Symptoms of Beriberi depend on each type of disease
In severe cases, Beriberi is often associated with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Wernicke encephalopathy and Korsakoff syndrome are two forms of brain damage caused by thiamine deficiency. Wernicke’s encephalopathy causes damage to areas of the brain, such as the hypothalamus. It can cause confusion, memory loss, loss of muscle coordination, and vision problems, such as rapid eye movement and double vision. Korsakoff’s syndrome results from permanent damage to areas of the brain that store memories. People with this syndrome often have memory loss, an inability to form new memories, and hallucinations.
6. Diagnosing Vitamin B1 Deficiency
A doctor will need a series of medical tests to determine if a person is deficient in vitamin B1. Blood and urine tests measure the amount of vitamin B1 in the body. If the body has difficulty absorbing this vitamin, levels will be low in the blood and high in the urine.
Doctors will also perform brain function tests to determine if the patient is experiencing lack of coordination, difficulty walking, drooping eyelids, and weak reflexes. People with late-stage vitamin B1 deficiency may experience memory loss, confusion, or delusions.
Regular checkups with a doctor can help alert you to any heart problems. A rapid heart rate, swelling of the lower legs, and shortness of breath are all symptoms of vitamin B1 deficiency.
7. Treating Vitamin B1 Deficiency
Vitamin B1 deficiency is easily treated by supplementing the vitamin. Your doctor may prescribe vitamin B1 injections or tablets. For severe cases, your doctor will treat you with intravenous vitamin B1.
Your treatment will be monitored with blood tests to see how well your body is absorbing the vitamin.
8. How to prevent vitamin B1 deficiency
A healthy, balanced diet that includes foods rich in thiamine is the best way to prevent vitamin B1 deficiency, including:
- Feed your baby a healthy, balanced diet that includes foods rich in vitamin B1 such as beans and legumes, nuts, meat, fish, whole grains, seeds, and dairy products.
- If you are formula-feeding your baby, you should also check that the ingredients are adequate for vitamin B1.
- Always make sure to buy infant formula from a reputable source.
- Many cereal products are fortified with 100% of the recommended daily value of the vitamin.
- Pregnant and breastfeeding women should be tested for vitamin deficiency periodically. Infant formulas should be fortified with the recommended amount of thiamine
Limiting alcohol consumption can also help reduce the risk of developing beriberi. Alcoholics should also be tested regularly for vitamin B1 deficiency.
If vitamin B1 deficiency is diagnosed and treated promptly, the patient can recover completely. Nerve and cardiovascular damage caused by beriberi can be reversed if detected early.
If the disease progresses to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, the treatment outlook is poorer. Although treatment can control the symptoms of Wernicke encephalopathy, the brain damage caused by Korsakoff syndrome is usually permanent.
Maintaining a healthy, balanced diet is important for good health, so let your doctor know if you suspect you have signs of vitamin B1 deficiency or if you need advice on your diet.
In young children, vitamin B1 deficiency often causes loss of appetite, leading to poor absorption and slow growth. Vitamin B1 deficiency can cause dangerous complications for children’s health and spirit, so parents need to observe and promptly supplement this important source of vitamin. In addition to dietary supplementation, parents can give their children nutritional supplements containing vitamin B1 and essential micronutrients such as zinc, lysine, chromium, selenium, etc. to help fully meet the nutritional needs of children. At the same time, these essential vitamins also support digestion, enhance the ability to absorb nutrients, help improve anorexia, and help children eat well.
