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Vitamin deficiency
Specialty	Endocrinology

Avitaminosis is any disease caused by chronic or long-term vitamin deficiency or caused by a defect in metabolic conversion, such as tryptophan to niacin. They are designated by the same letter as the vitamin.

Conversely hypervitaminosis is the syndrome of symptoms caused by over-retention of fat-soluble vitamins in the body.

Types

Avitaminoses include:

• Vitamin A deficiency causes xerophthalmia or night blindness.
• Thiamine deficiency causes beriberi.
• Niacin deficiency (vitamin B3) causes pellagra.
• Vitamin B12 deficiency leads to megaloblastic anemia and subacute combined degeneration of spinal cord.
• Vitamin C deficiency leads to scurvy.
• Vitamin D deficiency causes rickets.
• Vitamin K deficiency causes impaired coagulation.

References

1. Lee Russell McDowell (2000). Vitamins in Animal and Human Nutrition (2 ed. ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 0-8138-2630-6. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)
2. Lydia Fehily (1944). "Human-milk intoxication due to B1 avitaminosis" (PDF). British Medical Journal. 2 (4374): 509-. PMC 2286425. PMID 20785731.

See also

• Essential nutrient
• Illnesses related to poor nutrition
• Vitamin#Human vitamins for more details.
• Orthomolecular medicine

• Articles lacking sources from September 2008
• Vitamin deficiencies