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- What is beri beri?
- Symptoms of beri beri
- Causes of beri beri
- Prevention of beri beri
- Risk factors for beri beri
- Complications of beri beri
- When to see a doctor about beri beri
- Diagnosis of beri beri
- Conventional treatment of beri beri
- Alternative/complementary treatment of beri beri
- Living with beri beri
- Caring for someone with beri beri
Initial diagnosis of beri beri includes the following tests:
- Medical history - the doctor will ask a series of question about the onset (start) of symptoms, how severe the symptoms are and the duration of symptoms. The doctor will also ask some questions about alcohol intake, dietary intake and if the woman is breastfeeding, questions about breastfeeding and bottle feeding
- Physical examination - the doctor will perform a general physical examination to determine if there are any obvious symptoms of beri beri, such as swelling in the legs, fast heartbeat (arrhythmia) and veins that stick out quite obviously on the neck, which are all signs of congestive heart failure. In addition to this, the doctor may test the reflexes, request you to walk or perform some other coordination tasks, to test your coordination, which if they are not functioning properly could be a sign of dry beri beri
If beri beri is suspected, then the following diagnostic tests may also be requested to confirm (or rule out) diagnosis:
- Blood test - a blood test will be requested to determine the blood levels of vitamin B1 (thiamin) and most likely the to look at the health and the numbers of both of the red blood cells and the white blood cells too
- Urine test - a urine test will be requested to determine if vitamin B1 (thiamin) is passing through urine in excessive amounts, to test if you are excreting too much of it and not absorbing enough in the intestines. This test can help the doctor find out if you have a problem with digesting and absorbing vitamin B1 (thiamin)
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< 7: when to see a doctor 9: conventional treatment > Last reviewed: 3 January 2009 || Last updated: 21 January 2010
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NOTE: Mega doses of any type of vitamin, mineral, amino acid or herbal supplement cannot cure illnesses and in fact can be very dangerous and produce toxic side effects and interfere with medicine you are taking. Always ensure you consult your doctor before taking any type of complementary supplements.
Disclaimer: This guide is not intended to be used for diagnostic or prescriptive purposes. For any treatment or diagnosis of illness, please see your doctor.
