Thiamine must be consumed through diet or supplements.
Beriberi is rare in the United States, as many foods are rich in thiamine.
However, alcohol abuse, anorexia, and other conditions might increase your risk for a thiamine deficiency.
Verywell / Anastasia Tretiak
That means some supplement products may not contain what the label says.
Typically, Wernicke’sencephalopathypresents as a sudden state of confusion.
Neurological symptoms associated with dry beriberi may or may not be present.
Verywell / Anastasia Tretiak
Wet beriberi is life-threatening and can lead to death within days if it’s not treated.
Additionally, breastfed infants can develop beriberi when the mothers body lacks sufficient thiamine.
Most adults need 1 to 1.5 milligrams (mg) of thiamine daily.
The body can only store small amounts of thiamine at a time.
So, levels can drop quickly and deplete within two weeks if not enough is ingested.
Some of these include the following:
In addition, some medications may cause low levels of thiamine.
These foods include:
Limiting your intake of such foods may aid in the prevention of beriberi.
No supplement is intended to treat, cure, or prevent disease.
Treatment of beriberi focuses on restoring the bodys thiamine levels.
Typically this requires receiving high doses of thiamine intravenously (through an IV) at first.
Later on, oral supplements can be taken by mouth.
In most cases, undergoing treatment for beriberi alleviates symptoms and reverses damage to the heart or nervous system.
Most people treated with thiamine for beriberi will recover within three to six months.
Getting a proper diagnosis is essential.
If you feel you have a thiamine deficiency, reach out to your healthcare provider.
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The term may also derive from the sheeplike walking pattern seen in the disease, called “beriberi.”
Both types of beriberi result from a thiamine deficiency.
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