Question

The mine workers are most likely to suffer from
A. Beri-Beri
B. Osteomalacia
C. Scurvy
D. Xerophthalamia

Answer 1

Hint: The mine workers mostly have a deficiency of vitamin B1 in their body due to a lack of proper food which doesn’t provide essential nutrients or vitamins in their body as well as hard labour. This results in several diseases in which the most common one being Beri-Beri which is caused by a lack of vitamin B1. vitamin B1 commonly known as Thiamine.

Complete step-by-step answer

Beriberi is a disease caused by a lack of vitamin B1 in the body. Thiamine is another name for this vitamin. Thiamine pyrophosphate is the bioactive form of the vitamin thiamine. Thiamine, like other B-complex vitamins, aids your body's metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, as well as protein.

Several gold miners working in the tropical forest visited the Maripasoula Health Center in French Guiana
from September 2013 to July 2014 for oedema and findings consistent with right-sided cardiac failure. One patient died as a result of the 42 cases of beriberi that were diagnosed. The majority of the patients tested had vitamin B1 deficiency, according to laboratory and clinical findings. Moreover, 30 of 42 patients reacted positively to intramuscular or intravenous thiamine supplementation of 500 mg. Furthermore, the dietary analysis revealed that these patients were deficient in thiamine. We concluded that patients have gotten beriberi as a result of dietary restrictions, hard labour, and infectious diseases, particularly malaria.

Beriberi is classified into two types: wet and dry. Wet beriberi affects the circulatory system's organs, whereas dry beriberi impacts the nervous system and weakens muscle strength.

The major reason for osteomalacia is vitamin D lacking, which is usually caused by an inability to produce or absorb vitamin D. Vitamin D is deduced in the skin by sunlight, and it cannot form if there is inadequate sun exposure. Being biologically female and having darker skin pigmentation are two additional risk factors for acquiring osteomalacia. Because vitamin D levels decline with age, older adults are more likely to develop osteomalacia.

Scurvy is caused primarily by a lack of vitamin C or ascorbic acid in our meals. There are a few health problems and lifestyle changes that cause vitamin C deficiency. These include age factors, alcohol consumption, malnutrition, disabilities, and so on.

Hence, option A is correct.

Note: Osteomalacia commonly known as soft bones is caused by a lack of vitamin D in a body. Scurvy is a severe deficiency of vitamin C that can lead to anaemia, exhaustion, etc. Xerophthalmia is an eye disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin A.