Symptoms of beriberi include weight loss, emotional disturbances, impaired sensory perception, weakness and pain in the limbs, and periods of irregular heart rate. Edema (swelling of bodily tissues) is common. It may increase the amount of lactic acid and pyruvic acid within the blood. In advanced cases, the disease may cause high-output cardiac failure and death. Symptoms may occur concurrently with those of Wernicke's encephalopathy, a primarily neurological<unk> -related condition. Beriberi is divided into four categories. The first three are historical and the fourth, gastrointestinal beriberi, was recognized in 2004: *Dry beriberi especially affects the peripheral nervous system. *Wet beriberi especially affects the cardiovascular system and other bodily systems. *Infantile beriberi affects the babies of malnourished mothers. *Gastrointestinal beriberi affects the digestive system and other bodily systems. Dry beriberi Dry beriberi causes wasting and partial paralysis resulting from damaged peripheral nerves. It is also referred to as endemic neuritis. It is characterized by: *Difficulty with walking *Tingling or loss of sensation (numbness) in hands and feet *Loss of tendon reflexes *Loss of muscle function or paralysis of the lower legs *Mental confusion/speech difficulties *Pain *Involuntary eye movements (nystagmus) *Vomiting A selective impairment of the large proprioceptive sensory fibers without motor impairment can occur and present as a prominent sensory ataxia, which is a loss of balance and coordination due to loss of the proprioceptive inputs from the periphery and loss of position sense. Brain disease Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE), Korsakoff syndrome (also called alcohol amnestic disorder), and Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome are forms of dry beriberi. Wernicke's encephalopathy is the most frequently encountered manifestation of<unk>  in Western society, though it may also occur in patients with impaired nutrition from other causes, such as gastrointestinal disease, those with HIV/AIDS, and with the injudicious administration of parenteral glucose or hyperalimentation without adequate B-vitamin supplementation. This is a striking neuro-psychiatric disorder characterized by paralysis of eye movements, abnormal stance and gait, and markedly deranged mental function. Korsakoff syndrome, in general, is considered to occur with deterioration of brain function in patients initially diagnosed with WE. This is an amnestic-confabulatory syndrome characterized by retrograde and anterograde amnesia, impairment of conceptual functions, and decreased spontaneity and initiative. Alcoholics may have<unk>  because of: * Inadequate nutritional intake: Alcoholics tend to intake less than the recommended amount of<unk> . * Decreased uptake of<unk>  from the GI tract: Active transport of<unk>  into enterocytes is disturbed during acute alcohol exposure. * Liver<unk>  stores are reduced due to hepatic steatosis or fibrosis. * Impaired<unk>  utilization: Magnesium, which is required for the binding of<unk>  to<unk> -using enzymes within the cell, is also deficient due to chronic alcohol consumption. The inefficient use of any<unk>  that does reach the cells will further exacerbate the<unk> . * Ethanol per se inhibits<unk>  transport in the gastrointestinal system and blocks phosphorylation of<unk>  to its cofactor form (ThDP). Following improved nutrition and the removal of alcohol consumption, some impairments linked with<unk>  are reversed, in particular poor brain functionality, although in more severe cases, Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome leaves permanent damage. (See delirium tremens.) Wet beriberi Wet beriberi affects the heart and circulatory system. It is sometimes fatal, as it causes a combination of heart failure and weakening of the capillary walls, which causes the peripheral tissues to become edematous. Wet beriberi is characterized by: *Increased heart rate *Vasodilation leading to decreased systemic vascular resistance, and high-output heart failure *Elevated jugular venous pressure *Dyspnea (shortness of breath) on exertion *Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea *Peripheral edema (swelling of lower legs) or generalized edema (swelling throughout the body) *Dilated cardiomyopathy Gastrointestinal beriberi Gastrointestinal beriberi causes abdominal pain. It is characterized by: *Abdominal pain *Nausea *Vomiting *Lactic acidosis Infants Infantile beriberi usually occurs between two and six months of age in children whose mothers have inadequate<unk>  intake. It may present as either wet or dry beriberi. In the acute form, the baby develops dyspnea and cyanosis and soon dies of heart failure. These symptoms may be described in infantile beriberi: *Hoarseness, where the child makes moves to moan, but emits no sound or just faint moans caused by nerve paralysis *Weight loss, becoming thinner and then marasmic as the disease progresses *Vomiting *Diarrhea *Pale skin *Edema *Ill temper *Alterations of the cardiovascular system, especially tachycardia (rapid heart rate) *Convulsions occasionally observed in the terminal stages
Thiamine deficiency
Fluorine deficiency
Boron deficiency 
Selenium deficiency
Biotin deficiency
Chromium deficiency
Copper deficiency
Magnesium deficiency