What is pellagra disease?

What is pellagra disease?

Pellagra is a disease that occurs when a person does not get enough niacin (one of the B complex vitamins) or tryptophan (an amino acid).

What is pellagra PDF?

Pellagra is a nutritional disorder that occurs as a result of. niacin deficiency. 1. The term pellagra is derived from the Italian. words “pelle agra” meaning rough skin.

What 4 things caused pellagra?

What causes it?

  • alcoholism.
  • eating disorders.
  • certain medications, including anti-convulsants and immunosuppressive drugs.
  • gastrointestinal diseases, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
  • cirrhosis of the liver.
  • carcinoid tumors.
  • Hartnup disease.

What are the 4 D’s of pellagra?

Pellagra defines systemic disease as resulting from a marked cellular deficiency of niacin. It is characterized by 4 “D’s”: diarrhea, dermatitis, dementia, and death. Diagnosis of pellagra is difficult in the absence of the skin lesions, and is often facilitated by the presence of characteristic ones.

Why is it called pellagra?

Francesco Frapolli called the disease vulgo pelagrain and first used the term pellagra in 1771. In Italian vernacular, pellagra means “skin that is rough” and refers to the thickened, rough skin of persons with pellagra. In Italian, pelle means skin, and agra means sour.

What is the prevention of pellagra?

The primary prevention of pellagra involves an adequate diet. Food sources of niacin and/or tryptophan include nutritional yeast, eggs, bran, peanuts, meat, poultry, fish with red meat, cereals (especially fortified cereals), legumes, and seeds.

What are the symptoms of pellagra and how is it caused?

Pellagra: Everything you need to know. Pellagra is a condition that occurs due to a lack of vitamin B-3, otherwise known as niacin. It can cause many symptoms, but the most common are diarrhea, dermatitis, and dementia. Without diagnosis and treatment, pellagra can be life threatening.

What is the treatment for pellagra?

Oral therapy with nicotinamide or niacin usually is effective in reversing the clinical manifestations of pellagra. Because patients are often malnourished and have other vitamin deficiencies, provisions for a high-protein diet and the administration of B-complex vitamins are needed for complete recovery.

What is pellagra diagnosis?

Pellagra is defined by the systemic disease resulting from niacin deficiency, and it is characterized by diarrhea, dermatitis, dementia, and death, which usually appear in this order. GI tract symptoms always precede dermatitis, or, according to Rille, “Pellagra begins in the stomach”.

What is another name of pellagra?

Pellagra (Nicotinic Acid Deficiency) Niacin, another term for nicotinic acid, was introduced to avoid confusion with the alkaloid nicotine. Dietary deficiency of nicotinic acid produces pellagra (from the Italianpelle agra, meaning “rough skin”). Pellagra classically occurs in populations who consume primarily corn.

What is niacin deficiency called?

Niacin (vitamin B3) deficiency results in a condition known as pellagra. Pellagra includes the triad of dermatitis, dementia, and diarrhea and can result in death. Niacin deficiency can occur through genetic disorders, malabsorptive conditions, and interaction with certain medications.

Where is pellagra most common?

Pellagra is common in poor parts of the world, such as Africa and India, where corn (or maize) is a staple food. This is because corn is a poor source of tryptophan and niacin.

Which drug is used in pellagra?

Drugs used to treat Pellagra

Drug name Rating Rx/OTC
View information about niacin niacin Rate Rx/OTC

What are characteristics of pellagra?

Who discovered pellagra?

Pellagra was first identified among Spanish peasants by Don Gaspar Casal in 1735. A loathsome skin disease, it was called ‘mal de la rosa’ and often mistaken for leprosy. Pellagra has sometimes been called the disease of the four Ds – dermatitis, diarrhoea, dementia and death.

When was pellagra first discovered?

How can pellagra be prevented?

What is the pathophysiology of pellagra?

Pellagra is a rare disease caused by niacin deficiency or a disruption of its metabolism. Its manifestations are dermatitis with pronounced photosensitivity, gastrointestinal symptoms, and neuropsychiatric ailments.

What foods help prevent pellagra?

Primary prevention is as follows: The primary prevention of pellagra involves an adequate diet. Food sources of niacin and/or tryptophan include nutritional yeast, eggs, bran, peanuts, meat, poultry, fish with red meat, cereals (especially fortified cereals), legumes, and seeds.

Who cured pellagra?

In 1937, researcher Conrad Elvehjem found that nicotinic acid, or niacin, prevented and cured pellagra in dogs. It works as well in humans. Niacin is one of the B vitamins.

How can you cure pellagra?

Eating foods rich in tryptophan,which plays a role in making niacin,such as seafood,meat,and green vegetables

  • Ensuring your diet is rich in foods that contain niacin,such as cereal grains,eggs,green vegetables,fish,milk and yeast
  • Following a healthy food plan that includes a variety of foods from each of the food groups
  • Is pellegra an infectious disease?

    Pellagra is a disease that affects mainly three groups: people who are malnourished, the elderly, and those with a disorder in their digestive system. It is caused by an infectious agent called T.bacilliformis, which reproduces in the digestive tract of people who consume raw or undercooked food such as cornmeal or banana flour.

    How to identify and treat pellagra?

    Causes. Pellagra is categorized into two types- primary and secondary.

  • Risk Factors. Gastrointestinal Diseases: People suffering from gut issues such as Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative colitis are more at risk of getting Pellagra.
  • Symptoms.
  • Gastrointestinal Symptoms.
  • Neurological Symptoms.
  • Diagnosis And Treatment.
  • What is causing pellagra?

    – Psychosensory disturbances (impressions as being painful, annoying bright lights, odors intolerance causing nausea and vomiting, dizziness after sudden movements), – Psychomotor disturbances (restlessness, tense and a desire to quarrel, increased preparedness for motor action), as well as – Emotional disturbances