pellagra

views updated

pellagra The disease due to deficiency of the vitamin niacin and the amino acid tryptophan. Signs include a characteristic symmetrical photosensitive dermatitis (especially on the face and back of the hands), resembling severe sunburn; mental disturbances (a depressive psychosis sometimes called dementia); and digestive disorders (most commonly diarrhoea); fatal if untreated.

Most commonly associated with a diet based on maize or sorghum, which are poor sources of both tryptophan and niacin, with little meat or other vegetables.

More From encyclopedia.com