What Is Beriberi?
Beriberi is a disease caused by a vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency. There are two main types of the disease but four in all: wet beriberi and dry beriberi, infantile beriberi and gastrointestinal beriberi. Wet beriberi affects the heart and circulatory system. In extreme cases, wet beriberi can cause heart failure. Dry beriberi damages the nerves and can lead to a loss of muscle strength and eventually, muscle paralysis. Beriberi can be life-threatening if it isn’t treated.
If you have access to foods rich in thiamine, such as beans, vegetables, meat, and whole grains, your chances of developing beriberi are low. Today, beriberi mostly occurs in people with an alcohol use disorder (alcoholism)

What Causes Beriberi? Who Is at Risk?
The main cause of beriberi is a diet low in thiamine. The disease is very rare in regions with access to vitamin-enriched foods (e.g., breakfast cereals and breads). Beriberi is most common in regions of the world where the diet includes a lot of unenriched white rice, which only has a tenth of the amount of thiamine as brown rice.
There are a number of other factors may cause thiamine deficiency as well. These include:
Alcohol abuse can make it hard for your body to absorb and store thiamine.
Genetic beriberi is a rare condition that prevents the body from absorbing thiamine.
Pregnant women, breast-feeding mothers, and anyone with hyperthyroidism (over-active thyroid gland) need extra thiamine.
Prolonged diarrhea or use of diuretics (medication that makes you urinate more) can lead to depletion of thiamine.
Infants drinking breast milk or formula low in thiamine are at risk for thiamine deficiency.
Kidney dialysis can increase your risk of beriberi by depleting your body’s stores of thiamine more quickly.
What Are the Symptoms of Beriberi?
The symptoms of beriberi vary depending on the type (wet or dry). The following are symptoms of wet beriberi:
shortness of breath during physical activity
waking up short of breath
rapid heart rate
swollen lower legs
The symptoms of dry beriberi include:
decreased muscle function, particularly in the lower legs
tingling or loss of feeling in the feet and hands
pain
mental confusion
difficulty speaking
vomiting
involuntary eye movement
paralysis
In extreme cases, beriberi is associated with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Wernicke encephalopathy and Korsakoff syndrome are two forms of brain damage caused by thiamine deficiency. Wernicke encephalopathy damages regions of the brain called the thymus and hypothalamus. This condition can cause confusion, memory loss, loss of muscle coordination, and visual problems such as rapid eye movement and double vision. Korsakoff syndrome is the result of permanent damage to the region of the brain where memories form. This can cause loss of memory, the inability to form new memories, and hallucinations.