Explain about the Infantile beriberi?
Infantile beriberi is commonly seen in many South-East Asian countries where the diets consist mostly of "polished rice" and are deficient in thiamin. The occurrence of beriberi is due to:
a) Inadequate thiamin intake, related mainly to poor thiamin content of breast milk, and
b) Consumption of over-milled rice, deficient in thiamin by the mother.
The disease in infants is generally acute in onset while the chronic forms of the disease are seen in late infancy and childhood. Two types of infantile beriberi are known. These are:
(i) cardiovascular type, and
(ii) neuritic type