Beriberi epidemiology and demographics

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: ; Abdelrahman Ibrahim Abushouk, MD[2]

No clear data are available on the incidence and prevalence of beriberi; however, it is generally more common in countries with excess white rice consumption and unbalanced food supply.

• No clear data are available on the incidence rate of beriberi.

• Due to the absence of clear data on beriberi prevalence in children, the World Health Organization suggested that infant mortality curves can reflect thiamine deficiency in infants.^[1]
• The main reason an exact prevalence rate cannot be identified is that different studies used different blood thiamine concentration cutoffs.^[2]

• The infantile form of beriberi occurs in infants under one year of age: Cardiac form (1 to 3 months), aphonic (4 to 6 months), and pseudomeningitic (7 to 9 months).

• There is no racial predilection to beriberi.

• Beriberi affects men and women equally. However, pregnant women may be at risk.

• The majority of beriberi cases are reported in geographical regions with inadequate dietary intake (developing countries). In developed countries, it may occur in individuals with chronic illness or alcoholism.^[3]

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