Pellagra is a disease caused by deficiency of which vitamin?

Pellagra is a disease caused by deficiency of which vitamin?

• A. Niacin
• B. Vitamin C
• C. Vitamin D
• D. Vitamin B2

Answer: (A)

Pellagra is caused by a deficiency of niacin, also known as vitamin B3. Niacin is needed to form the coenzymes NAD and NADP, which are essential for many cellular redox reactions and energy metabolism. When niacin is lacking, tissues with high turnover such as skin, the digestive tract, and the brain are affected, leading to the classic symptoms of pellagra: dermatitis, diarrhea, and dementia (and if untreated, can be fatal). Diets based heavily on untreated corn can cause pellagra because corn provides niacin in a form not readily available unless the grain is processed (nixtamalization). The body can also make some niacin from tryptophan, a amino acid, so poor protein intake can contribute to deficiency. Vitamin C deficiency leads to scurvy, Vitamin D deficiency to rickets/osteomalacia, and riboflavin (B2) deficiency causes ariboflavinosis, but none produce pellagra.

Pellagra is caused by a deficiency of niacin, also known as vitamin B3. Niacin is needed to form the coenzymes NAD and NADP, which are essential for many cellular redox reactions and energy metabolism. When niacin is lacking, tissues with high turnover such as skin, the digestive tract, and the brain are affected, leading to the classic symptoms of pellagra: dermatitis, diarrhea, and dementia (and if untreated, can be fatal). Diets based heavily on untreated corn can cause pellagra because corn provides niacin in a form not readily available unless the grain is processed (nixtamalization). The body can also make some niacin from tryptophan, a amino acid, so poor protein intake can contribute to deficiency.

Vitamin C deficiency leads to scurvy, Vitamin D deficiency to rickets/osteomalacia, and riboflavin (B2) deficiency causes ariboflavinosis, but none produce pellagra.