Beriberi

Beriberi is brought on by a vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency, and has

multiple variations- wet, dry, infantile and gastrointestinal. Beriberi
is rarely seen in the western world, as foods are enriched with
vitamins; beriberi is more common in the areas of the world where
white rice is an important/regular staple, such as in China and
Southeast Asia, especially the Indian subcontinent.

Dry beriberi
Dry beriberi primarily affects the peripheral nervous system. It
causes neurological and muscular difficulties and is also known as
endemic neuritis.
The symptoms of dry beriberi are:

Difficulty in walking
Numbness in the hands and the feet
Speech difficulties
Pain
Vomiting
Mental confusion
Paralysis
Involuntary eye movements
Wasting

Wet beriberi
Wet beriberi affects the heart, and the circulatory system, and can
sometimes be fatal, as it can cause heart failure.
The symptoms of wet beriberi are:
Rapid/increased heart rate
Shortness of breath
Swollen lower legs

Gastrointestinal beriberi
Gastrointestinal is a recently discovered form of beriberi.
The symptoms of gastrointestinal beriberi are:
Abdominal pain

 Nausea and vomiting

Lactic acidosis-often occurs when cells have a lack of oxygen
(hypoxia)

Infantile beriberi
Infantile beriberi is caused when the mother has a thiamine
deficiency, and occurs in babies between 2-6 months of age.
The symptoms of infantile beriberi are:

Nerve paralysis
Weight loss
Skin paleness
Tachycardia- rapid heart rate
Vomiting and diarrhoea

A lack of consumption of thiamine is the defining reason for beriberi,

but this can be brought on by a number of things: alcoholism can
sometimes mean that thiamine is harder to ingest or absorb,
prolonged diarrhoea and various diseases can prevent thiamine from
being absorbed at a sufficient level. In addition to this, pregnant
women and anyone with hyperthyroidism require a larger quantity of
thiamine, and kidney dialysis can also cause a lack of it. Babies who
are fed with milk low in thiamine can also contract beriberi.
The way to treat beriberi is simply with thiamine supplements, and a
diet of thiamine enriched foods, such as eggs, meats, nuts, seeds,
and to take away from the diet white rice, shrimp and raw meat
which prevent thiamine for being absorbed and stored efficiently by
the body.

Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beriberi
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/00
0339.htm
http://www.healthline.com/health/beriberi
http://listverse.com/2012/03/16/top-10-vitamindeficiencies/

http://patient.info/doctor/beriberi
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/116930workup