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Pathology => Human Diseases => Pellagra
Pellagra
Pellagra, dietary-deficiency disease resulting from inadequate intake or absorption of niacin, one of the components of the vitamin B complex. The American physician Joseph Goldberger showed that the disease was caused by vitamin deficiency. Although pellagra is common throughout the world, its incidence in the U.S. is low today due to fortification of processed wheat with vitamin B. The disease mainly afflicts those whose diet lacks proteins, particularly those whose diet is principally corn, and sometimes occurs in people with gastrointestinal diseases that result in poor absorption of vitamins.
The disease often begins with weakness, lassitude, insomnia, and weight loss. Exposed skin on the neck, hands, arms, feet, and legs, particularly after exposure to sunlight, becomes rough, reddened, and scaly, and painful mouth lesions develop. The gastrointestinal disturbances consist of loss of appetite, indigestion, and diarrhea; nervous system involvement appears later in the course of the disease and includes such symptoms as headache, vertigo, generalized aches, muscular tremors, and mental disturbances.
Treatment includes the administration of niacin and the other B-complex vitamins. A daily diet of adequate amounts of milk, lean meat or fish, whole grain cereals, and fresh vegetables is imperative for cure and prevention of the disease.
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