Deficiency diseases are caused by a lack of specific nutrients in a person’s diet, often due to malnutrition. Each disease is caused by a different nutrient deficiency, and can lead to serious health problems. Adding missing nutrients to the diet can often cure the disease, but damage may not be reversible. Examples of deficiency diseases include beriberi, scurvy, anemia, rickets, and goiter.
A deficiency disease is a disease or disorder caused by a lack of particular nutrients in a person’s diet. Nutritional deficiencies are usually related to malnutrition, which results from an unbalanced diet. The person may not be hungry, but may be limited in what they are eating. In other words, the person is eating enough, but is missing some nutrients because the foods they are eating are not part of that person’s diet.
Each deficiency disease is caused by a lack of a different nutrient. What disease or ailment a person suffers is directly related to what is missing from the diet. Also, if a person’s diet lacks several essential nutrients, that person may suffer from more than one deficiency disease.
It is very rare for a deficiency disease to be fatal, but each one can cause serious problems for the person’s body and overall health. Deficiency diseases become fatal in extreme cases where the deficiency is a long-term chronic case. In most cases, the disease can be cured by adding the missing nutrients back to the diet. Unfortunately, if changes have occurred in the body due to the deficiency disease, they may not be reversed by adding the nutrient. In these cases, however, further damage can often be prevented.
There are many known deficiency diseases caused by deficient nutrients. Many are caused by a missing vitamin or mineral from the diet. A diet low in protein, fat and carbohydrates can also cause various deficiency diseases. Examples of deficiency diseases include beriberi, scurvy, anemia, rickets, and goiter, among others.
Vitamins A, B, C, and D are essential to a person’s diet, and a lack of any of them can cause a deficiency disease. A diet lacking in vitamin A can cause night blindness. In this case, a child is unable to see when it is dark and his eyes become dull. If left untreated, it can lead to blindness in the affected person.
Beriberi is the deficiency disease caused by low levels of vitamin B. It is a nervous disorder that can affect the eyes, skin, body growth and muscle formation. Scurvy occurs when the diet is deficient in vitamin C. Historically, this disease has been associated with sailors on long ocean voyages as fresh fruits and vegetables were unavailable. It causes swollen and bleeding gums and teeth can loosen and fall out.
If a diet lacks vitamin D, the person is likely to suffer from rickets. Vitamin D is needed for bone formation, so a telltale sign of this disorder is bow leg. Lack of vitamin D causes bones to become weak and thin and not grow properly, leading to deformities.
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