HWN Suggests

The Man Who Discovered Thiamin

In the mid-1800s, a strange sickness was devastating parts of Southeast Asia. Known as beriberi, it began with intense swelling of the legs and feet and a general sense of numbness, especially in the extremities. Victims developed a distinctive gait, lifting their knees high in the air and swinging their legs forward so that their drooping toes wouldn’t catch on the ground. Their urine became concentrated and their appetites waned, even as their bodies wasted away. Eventually, they lost their voices and died in suffocating convulsions. Its cause was a mystery; no one knew a prevention, let alone a cure.

Today, we know that beriberi is caused by a deficiency in a vitamin called thiamin,…

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Articles of Interest

Alcohol related thiamine deficiency

If a lack of thiamine persists, a condition called beriberi may develop over the following weeks or months. There are two types of beriberi - wet beriberi and dry beriberi. Wet beriberi affects the heart and circulatory system and in extreme cases can cause heart failure. Dry beriberi damages the nerves and can lead to decreased muscle strength and eventually, muscle paralysis. If untreated beriberi can be life-threatening. In extreme cases, beriberi is associated with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Wernicke encephalopathy and Korsakoff syndrome are two forms of brain damage caused by thiamine deficiency. Both are conditions due to brain damage which is often caused by excessive alcohol use.

British India and the “Beriberi Problem”, 1798–1942

In 1898 Patrick Manson gave a graphic account of beriberi. He described how medical visitors to “native hospitals in many parts of the tropical world” were likely to have “their attention arrested by the large proportion of cases of partial paraplegia, of cases of oedema of the legs, and of cases of general dropsy. These, for the most part, are cases of beriberi”

Forgotten but Not Gone? A Probable Case of Wet Beriberi

Thiamine deficiency may be more prevalent than is recognized. These authors describe a case of probable wet beriberi, outline challenges in making this diagnosis, review factors that may precipitate the disorder, and discuss treatment.

How Sick Chickens and Rice Led Scientists to Vitamin B1

Take beriberi for example—a common disease that could cause nerve damage or heart failure. Beriberi had already been linked with diet, but when Dutch scientists started looking for its cause, they thought they might be looking for a microbe. To find that microbe, they tried infecting small animals (rabbits, monkeys, chickens) with the disease by exposing them to blood and urine from animals with beriberi.

The fascinating history of clinical trials

Beriberi, a disease that can have lasting effects on the nervous system and heart, was common in Southeast Asia in the early part of the 20th century. In 1905 a beriberi outbreak occured at the Kuala Lumpur Lunatic Asylum. At that time William Fletcher was the district surgeon. He realised the outbreak provided an excellent opportunity to run an experiment (which we now know is just a bit unethical).

What you need to know about Beriberi and Wernicke's encephalopathy

Wernicke's encephalopathy is an acute neurological condition caused by thiamine deficiency, also known as beriberi.

Resources

MedlinePlus

Beriberi is rare in the United States. This is because most foods are now vitamin enriched. If you eat a normal, healthy diet, you should get enough thiamine. Today, beriberi occurs mostly in people who abuse alcohol. Drinking heavily can lead to poor nutrition. Excess alcohol makes it harder for the body to absorb and store vitamin B1.

NORD

Beriberi is rare in the United States since many foods are now vitamin enriched; however, alcohol abuse, dialysis and taking high doses of diuretics increases the risk of developing the condition. In most cases, beriberi occurs sporadically in people with no family history of the condition.

StatPearls

Deficiency of thiamine can affect the cardiovascular, nervous, and immune system, as is commonly seen in wet beriberi, dry beriberi, or as Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Worldwide it is most widely reported in populations where polished rice and milled cereals are the primary food source, and also in patients with chronic alcohol abuse.