Vitamins deficiency

Question 1

Vitamin A deficiency signs and sypmtoms

Answer 1

Dry skin, night blindness, corneal degeneration, conjunctival keratinization.

Question 2

Vitamin B (thiamine)

Answer 2

Beriberi (polyneuritis, dilated cardiomyopathy, high-output CHF, edema), Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome ( Wernicke= Confusion, Ophthalmoplegia, Ataxia, Thiamine retrograde and anterograde amnesia; Korsakoff= Confabulation).

Question 3

Vitamin B2 ( riboflavin)

Answer 3

Angular stomatitis, cheilosis, corneal vascularization.

Question 4

Vitamin B3 ( niacin)

Answer 4

Pellagra (diarrhea, dermatitis, dementia).
May be caused by carcinoid tumor ( decreased tryptophan, a precursor of niacin) and INH ( vitamin B6 is required for niacin synthesis).

Question 5

Vitamin B5 ( pantothenate)

Answer 5

Dermatitis, enteritis, alopecia, adrenal insufficiency.

Question 6

Vitamin B6 ( pyridoxine )

Answer 6

Convulsions, irritability, peripheral neuropathy, and sideroblastic anemia.
Always supplement B6 when administering INH.

Question 7

Vitamin B12 (cobalamin)

Answer 7

Megaloblastic anemia, glossitis, neurologic symptoms ( optic neuropathy, subacute combined degeneration, paresthesias).

Question 8

Vitamin C

Answer 8

Scurvy: swollen gums, bruising, anemia, poor wound healing; immunosuppression.

Question 9

Vitamin D

Answer 9

Rickets in children (bending bones), osteomalacia in adults (soft bones), hypocalcemia tetany.
All breastfed babies should receive supplemental vitamin D.

Question 10

Vitamin E

Answer 10

increased fragility of RBCs -> hemolytic anemia, degeneration of posterior column.
May look like B12 deficiency with anemia and neurologic symptoms, but anemia is hemolytic rather than megaloblastic.

Question 11

Vitamin K

Answer 11

Increased PT and aPTT, normal bleeding time. Neonatal hemorrhage.
Give all babies IM vit K (suspect neonatal hemorrhage in babies born at home).

Question 12

Biotin

Answer 12

Dermatitis, enteritis
Can be caused by ingestion of raw eggs or antibiotic use.

Question 13

Folic acid

Answer 13

Glossitis, megaloblastic anemia without neurologic symptoms.
More common than B12 deficiency since B12 stores in liver can last 3 - 5 years.

Question 14

Selenium

Answer 14

Cardiomyopathy (Keshan disease), impaired phagocytic function in macrophages.

Question 15

Zinc

Answer 15

Dysgeusia (impaired taste), impaired wound healing, alopecia, hypogonadism.