Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTypes of BerberiCausesRisk FactorsSymptomsPreventionTreatmentFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Types of Berberi
Causes
Risk Factors
Symptoms
Prevention
Treatment
Frequently Asked Questions
Vitamin B1, orthiamine, is crucial to many processes, like converting carbohydrates into energy, transmitting nerve signals, and producing acids essential for proper digestion. Thiamine must be consumed through diet or supplements.
Running low onthiamine(a type of B vitamin) could put you at risk for a severe condition called beriberi. Beriberi is rare in the United States, as many foods are rich in thiamine. However, alcohol abuse, anorexia, and other conditions might increase your risk for a thiamine deficiency. When left untreated, beriberi can severely deplete your energy levels and result in life-threatening problems with your heart or nervous system.
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate supplements the way it regulates prescription drugs. That means some supplement products may not contain what the label says. Whenchoosing a supplement, look for independently tested products and consult a healthcare provider, registered dietitian nutritionist (RD or RDN), or pharmacist.
Types
The two types of beriberi are:
Dry Beriberi and Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome
Dry beriberi injures the nerves and can lead to muscle strength loss and, eventually,paralysis. If the condition is detected and treated in its early stages, damage to the nervous system is usually reversible.Lack of early treatment may result in such complications as permanentmemory loss.
Symptoms include the following:
Korsakoff syndrome often develops later, with symptoms that include:
These symptoms may be irreversible unless the underlying thiamine deficiency is corrected.
Wet Beriberi
Wet beriberi is associated withright-sided heart failure, in which the heart can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs.
Neurological symptoms associated with dry beriberi may or may not be present.
Wet beriberi is life-threatening and can lead to death within days if it’s not treated.
Thiamine tablets and capsules.Verywell / Anastasia Tretiak
Verywell / Anastasia Tretiak
Alcohol abuseis one of the leading causes of beriberi today.Drinking heavily interferes with your body’s ability to absorb and store thiamine.
In very rare cases, beriberi occurs as a genetic disorder.For some individuals with this condition, the ability to absorb thiamine from foods gradually weakens with age.
Additionally, breastfed infants can develop beriberi when the mother’s body lacks sufficient thiamine.
Most adults need 1 to 1.5 milligrams (mg) of thiamine daily. The body can only store small amounts of thiamine at a time. So, levels can drop quickly and deplete within two weeks if not enough is ingested.
Along with alcohol abuse, any condition that causes the body to use more thiamine than normal or to absorb less thiamine than the body needs is a risk factor for beriberi.
Some of these include the following:
In addition, some medications may cause low levels of thiamine. These include the following:
Dry beriberi symptoms typically include the following:
Common symptoms of wet beriberi include the following:
If you’re experiencing signs of thiamine deficiency, consult your healthcare provider immediately.
It should be noted that several foods and drinks contain thiaminases, which are enzymes found to render thiamine inactive. These foods include:
Limiting your intake of such foods may aid in the prevention of beriberi.
Consuming large amounts of refined carbohydrates or alcohol can also lower the amount of thiamine in the body, so it’s best to have these only in moderation.
In most cases, undergoing treatment for beriberi alleviates symptoms and reverses damage to the heart or nervous system. Most people treated with thiamine for beriberi will recover within three to six months.
Failure to treat beriberi (and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome) can permanently damage the heart and/or nerves, and cause coma, psychosis, and even death.
Summary
Your risk of thiamine deficiency can increase with such conditions as alcohol overuse, anorexia, GI or absorption issues, as well as other conditionsA thiamine deficiency can lead to beriberi if unchecked. Getting a proper diagnosis is essential. If you feel you have a thiamine deficiency, reach out to your healthcare provider.
Frequently Asked QuestionsAn unconfirmed legend suggests that when people in Sri Lanka with symptoms of beriberi were asked to move, they responded, “Beriberi,” which can be translated into “I cannot. I cannot.“The term may also derive from the sheeplike walking pattern seen in the disease, called “beriberi.“Both types of beriberi result from a thiamine deficiency. Dry beriberi affects only the nervous system, while wet beriberi affects the heart (and may also affect the nervous system).Beriberi is most often seen in people with alcohol use disorder or malnourishment.Other risk factors include medical conditions like diabetes, HIV,critical illness, pregnancy, and breastfeeding.
An unconfirmed legend suggests that when people in Sri Lanka with symptoms of beriberi were asked to move, they responded, “Beriberi,” which can be translated into “I cannot. I cannot.“The term may also derive from the sheeplike walking pattern seen in the disease, called “beriberi.”
An unconfirmed legend suggests that when people in Sri Lanka with symptoms of beriberi were asked to move, they responded, “Beriberi,” which can be translated into “I cannot. I cannot.”
The term may also derive from the sheeplike walking pattern seen in the disease, called “beriberi.”
Both types of beriberi result from a thiamine deficiency. Dry beriberi affects only the nervous system, while wet beriberi affects the heart (and may also affect the nervous system).
Beriberi is most often seen in people with alcohol use disorder or malnourishment.Other risk factors include medical conditions like diabetes, HIV,critical illness, pregnancy, and breastfeeding.
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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National Library of Medicine.Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.
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Tan ML, Willis CG.Beriberi: A reversible cause of acute severe pulmonary hypertension.Cureus. 2022;14(7):e27376. doi:10.7759/cureus.27376
Dhaliwal A, Larson JL, Dhindsa BS, Bhogal N, Rochling FA.Dry Beriberi Manifesting as Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy in a Patient With Decompensated Alcohol-Induced Cirrhosis.Cureus. 2020;12(10):e11281. Published 2020 Oct 31. doi:10.7759/cureus.11281
Wooley JA. “Characteristics of thiamin and its relevance to the management of heart failure.” Nutr Clin Pract. 2008 Oct-Nov;23(5):487-93.
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