This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages without signing in

Aetiology

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Pellagra is rare in the UK as niacin occurs in many plant and animal foods and can also be synthesised from tryptophan.

Causes of pellagra:

  • a monotonous maize diet (maize is low in tryptophan)
  • a very low protein diet
  • conditions producing considerable loss of protein e.g. nephrotic syndrome

Other causes include:

  • malabsorption e.g. coeliac disease
  • isoniazid - isoniazid is a pyridoxine antagonist - this agent is essential for conversion of tryptophan to nicotinic acid
  • Hartnup Disease
  • carcinoid syndrome - consumption of tryptophan by serotonin producing tumour
  • alcoholism

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.