Ariboflavinosis

Riboflavin, an essential vitamin, must be acquired through the diet as the human body cannot produce it. This vitamin is soluble in water, sensitive to light, and has a crystalline form, making it detectable through various methods like fluorometric, micro-biological, and absorptive-photometrical techniques.

Since riboflavin is not stored in the body, it is important for individuals to ensure a daily intake of this vitamin from dietary sources. Foods such as beef liver, dairy products, eggs, meat, wheat germ, and tuna fish are abundant in riboflavin.

Ariboflavinosis, a prevalent nutritional deficiency disease, occurs when there are inadequate levels of riboflavin in the body. This condition presents in humans with symptoms like cheilosis, perlèche-like erosions, seborrhea of the face, vascularization of the cornea, and keratitis.

The facial and labial lesions associated with ariboflavinosis play a significant role in creating the recognizable appearance of classic pellagra. When combined with glossitis, these lesions form the clinical picture known as "pellagra sine pellagra."

Specific symptoms of riboflavin deficiency include light sensitivity (photophobia), burning and itching of the eyes, eyestrain, rapid visual fatigue, poor distant vision, and blurred vision in low-light or twilight conditions.

While the deficiency can be assessed by measuring the activity of red blood cell glutathione reductase, clinical observations are generally sufficient to diagnose the deficiency.
Ariboflavinosis