Pellagra
Pellagra was a major widespread cause of death until the early 20th century, but fortification of flour with niacin has led practically to its eradication in developed countries - Savvoula Savvidou
image by: GP Reddy's Scholars Kamineni
HWN Suggests
Dr. Joseph Goldberger & the War on Pellagra
... long before Dr. C. Everett Koop and a new generation of public health professionals suffered social criticism in their public health pronouncements on AIDS, Dr. Joseph Goldberger, Surgeon in the United States Public Health Service, was doing much the same thing. Even as Koop has been critical of personal behavior and social policies that could put populations at risk of acquiring the AIDS virus, Goldberger warned Americans about the crucial link between poor nutrition as the result of poverty and the onset of a scourge known as pellagra.
Pellagra was first identified among Spanish peasants by Don Gaspar Casal in 1735. A loathsome skin disease, it was called mal de la rosa and often…
Resources
Making ‘Pellagra’
I didn’t really know what I was letting myself in for when I signed up to make this film. I was asked to make a film about the ‘Pellagra’ in Italy. Turns out ‘Pellagra’ is a vitamin (niacin) deficiency disease that affected Italy’s peasant population in the 19th century. At certain times during the year, many who lived and toiled the land in (northern Italy) survived entirely on the maize (corn) crop. Maize production was a livelihood for many. When maize became the sole food source for the peasant population (in the form of polenta); this is when the problems started.
Musty corn and the dread scourge pellagra
When Pauline and Hattie were both growing up, musty corn (and any food containing contaminated corn products) was thought to be the cause of the life-threatening disease pellagra, a condition that we understand today results from a lack of niacin. Mountaineers of that era noticed that it struck in the winter season.
Pellagra and the Four Ds
2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the war on pellagra, a war that lasted nearly 25 of those years before victory could finally be declared. You have not heard of the war on pellagra? The celebration is not on your calendar? You’re not alone. Why did it take so long? Was the science so intractable, like the current “war” on cancer? No. It was politics and pigheadedness that were the obstacles.
'Goldberger's War': Stopping Pellagra in the South
NPR's Mike Pesca speaks with Alan Kraut, author of Goldberger's War: The Life and Work of a Public Health Crusader. Kraut discusses how Joseph Goldberger was able to help stop the spread of pellagra in the southern United States.
A Differential Diagnosis: How Pellagra Can be Confused with Celiac Disease
Since up to 58 percent of celiac patients might be co-morbid with Pellagra, could it be possible that Pellagra is the "parent disease," and the those diagnosed with celiac disease have symptoms derived from Pellagra?
I asked 8 researchers why the science of nutrition is so messy. Here’s what they said
Nutrition science has to be a lot more imprecise. It's filled with contradictory studies that are each rife with flaws and limitations. The messiness of this field is a big reason why nutrition advice can be confusing.
Joseph Goldberger's research on the prevention of pellagra
Pellagra was first identified among Spanish peasants by Don Gaspar Casal in 1735. A loathsome skin disease, it was called ‘mal de la rosa’ and often mistaken for leprosy. Pellagra has sometimes been called the disease of the four Ds – dermatitis, diarrhoea, dementia and death. In 1937 it was discovered that pellagra was caused by a deficiency of the B vitamin niacin (nicotinic acid).
Pellagra: A Non-Eradicated Old Disease
The term pellagra - from pelle agra, Italian for rough skin - was first used by Frappoli in 1771 due to its dermatologic manifestations. However, since Goldberger implicated vitamin B deficiency as the cause of pellagra in 1926, the pellagra syndrome has historically been characterized by the 4 D’s: Dermatitis, Diarrhea, and Dementia leading to Death.
Politics and Pellagra: The Epidemic of Pellagra in the U.S. in the Early Twentieth Century
The story of the epidemic of pellagra in the United States, which occurred in the first half of the twentieth century, may remind people of contemporary events surrounding the AIDS epidemic, when social and political forces have affected medical research. To a very real extent, history has been repeating itself. The epidemic of pellagra, which caused over 3 million cases and 100,000 deaths in the U.S., has been largely forgotten, and the reason for the outbreak is not widely known, even though it is a phenomenon which caused a similar disease outbreak
The New Yorker Who Changed the Diet of the South
Pellagra is signaled by diarrhea, a scaly rash, dementia and death. It is caused by a deficiency of niacin, a form of vitamin B. With balanced diets and fortified foods, pellagra is rare today in Westernized nations. But it continues to be a problem in developing countries, where niacin-poor foods like corn and rice are primary sources of nutrition or where malnutrition is common. In the United States, pellagra continued to be a huge problem through the mid-20th century.
Dr. Joseph Goldberger & the War on Pellagra
Pellagra no longer stalks the nation as it once did. But during the early part of the 20th-century, pellagra, a disease that results from a diet deficient in niacin, killed many poor Southerners. Dr. Joseph Goldberger, a physician in the U.S. government's Hygienic Laboratory, the predecessor of the National Institutes of Health, discovered the cause of pellagra and stepped on a number of medical toes when his research experiments showed that diet and not germs (the currently held medical theory) caused the disease.
DermNet NZ
Pellagra is a disease characterised by diarrhoea, dermatitis and dementia. If left untreated, death is the usual outcome. It occurs as a result of niacin (vitamin B-3) deficiency. Niacin is required for most cellular processes. Since tryptophan in the diet can be converted to niacin in the body, both of these need to be deficient for pellagra to develop.
MedlinePlus
The disease is common in parts of the world (certain parts of Africa) where people have a lot of untreated corn in their diet. Corn is a poor source of tryptophan, and niacin in corn is tightly bound to other components of the grain. Niacin is released from corn if soaked in limewater overnight. This method is used to cook tortillas in Central America where pellagra is rare.
ScienceDirect
Pellagra (vitamin B deficiency) is rare complication that typically manifests late in the course of the disease and should be treated with low doses of niacin supplements.
Introducing Stitches!
Your Path to Meaningful Connections in the World of Health and Medicine
Connect, Collaborate, and Engage!
Coming Soon - Stitches, the innovative chat app from the creators of HWN. Join meaningful conversations on health and medical topics. Share text, images, and videos seamlessly. Connect directly within HWN's topic pages and articles.
