Question

Which of the following pairs is characterized by swollen lips, thick pigmented skin of hands and legs and irritability?
a. Thiamine- Beri-Beri
b. Protein- Kwashiorkor
c. Nicotinamide- Pellagra
d. Iodine- Goitre

Answer 1

It is a deficiency syndrome caused by the deficiency of vitamin B3. It also adversely affects the skin, digestive system, and nervous system and causes illness like dermatitis, diarrhea, and mental conditions.

Complete answer:
Vitamin B3 is also known as Niacin or Nicotinamide. It is a water soluble vitamin that cannot store by body. It is essential for normal metabolism. It plays a very important role in converting foods into energy. It helps our body to use fats and proteins to keep skin, nervous systems healthy.

Pellagra is a disease caused by the deficiency of niacin or vitamin B3. The most common cause of Pellagra is insufficient amount of Niacin in the body whereas few other causes are like conditions related to digestion which leads to inappropriate absorption of niacin in the body.

Symptoms of Pellagra
- Abdominal cramps
- Depression
- Diarrhea
- Dementia
- Weakness
- Headaches, loss of appetite and severe fatigue
- Nausea may leads to vomiting
- Scaly skin lesions

Due to the Symptoms like dementia, dermatitis, and diarrhea it is also known as “the three Ds”. It can be fatal if it's not cured on time.
It can affect people like dealing with poverty, eating disorders, HIV etc.

Treatment- Pellagra can be cured by changes in lifestyle and dietary intake, eat a diet rich in vitamin B3 like green leafy vegetables, eggs, meat etc.

Hence, the correct answer is option (C).

Note: Pellagra is mainly caused by the deficiency or improper intake of diet enriched in vitamin B3 or Niacin or Nicotinamide. This leads to symptoms like thick pigmentation of skin, swollen lips and not proper functioning of the digestive system.