Biotin deficiency is rare but can cause dermatological problems, muscle pain, and mood changes. It is caused by problems with enzymes or consuming large amounts of egg whites. Pregnant women need a balanced diet to prevent birth defects. Diagnosis can be difficult due to vague symptoms.
Biotin deficiency is a very rare nutritional deficiency in which the body does not get enough biotin. Biotin is a member of the B complex of vitamins, and plays an important role in metabolism and cellular respiration. The daily requirement of biotin is very low, which makes it difficult to develop a deficiency of this vitamin. Treatment for a biotin deficiency involves supplementing the diet with additional biotin until the patient is stable.
People who develop a deficiency in this vitamin usually do so because they have a problem with the enzymes that are responsible for extracting biotin from the diet. Biotin deficiencies can arise in people who have taken long courses of antibiotics, individuals on prolonged intravenous feeding regimens, and people taking anticonvulsants. Biotin deficiency has also been linked to consuming large amounts of egg whites, as egg whites contain a protein that binds biotin.
People with this condition usually develop dermatological problems such as rashes, dry skin, fungal infections, and hair loss. As the deficiency progresses, the patient may also develop depression, muscle pain, and mood or attitude changes. Widespread symptoms can sometimes make it difficult to believe that a patient has a biotin deficiency. In infants, screening for nutritional deficiencies, including a biotin deficiency, is a routine part of the neurological examination to avoid missing an early diagnosis.
In addition to causing health problems for people of all ages, biotin deficiency has also been linked to certain birth defects, such as cleft palate. This is one of the many reasons why pregnant women need to eat a balanced and diverse diet, to ensure that the developing fetus gets the vitamins and minerals it needs to be healthy. Some researchers have suggested that the unusual food cravings experienced by some women during pregnancy may be related to nutritional deficiencies, with the body seeking foods to remedy the deficiency.
Diagnosing a biotin deficiency can be difficult, due to the rarity of this condition and the rather vague symptoms of biotin deficiency. It is important for patients to discuss their health histories with physicians when seeking treatment for medical problems, as a physician may discover what is causing a vague constellation of symptoms by learning something in the patient’s history. For example, a dermatologist might not immediately suspect a biotin deficiency in a patient with recurrent fungal infections, but he or she might be aware of the problem if the patient mentioned that they had just completed long-term antibiotic therapy.
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