Deficiency of Vitamin B6

07 Jun

Posted by admin as vitamins

Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin that exists in three major chemical forms: pyridoxine, pyridoxal, and pyridoxamine [1,2]. It performs a wide variety of functions in your body and is essential for your good health. For example, vitamin B6 is needed for more than 100 enzymes involved in protein metabolism. It is also essential for red blood cell metabolism. The nervous and immune systems need vitamin B6 to function efficiently, [3-6] and it is also needed for the conversion of tryptophan (an amino acid) to niacin (a vitamin) [1,7].Vitamin B6 deficiency: A nutritional condition produced by a deficiency of VITAMIN B 6 in the diet, characterized by dermatitis, glossitis, cheilosis, and stomatitis. Marked deficiency causes irritability, weakness, depression, dizziness, peripheral neuropathy, and seizures. In infants and children typical manifestations are diarrhea, anemia, and seizures. Deficiency can be caused by certain medications, such as isoniazid.

Deficiency in the vitamin may result in smooth tongue, skin disorders, dizziness, nausea, anemia, convulsions, and kidney stones. Some contraceptives can cause vitamin B6 deficiency in women.

Dietary deficiency is extremely rare. Some drugs (e.g. isoniazid, hydralazine and penicillamine) interact with pyridoxal phosphate, producing B 6 deficiency. The polyneuropathy occurring after isoniazid usually responds to vitamin B6 . Sideroblastic anaemia occasionally responds to vitamin B6. A polyneuropathy has occurred after high doses (>200 mg) given over many months. Vitamin B 6 is used for premenstrual tension: a daily dose of 10 mg should not be exceeded.

Deficiency of this vitamin also commonly occurs in people taking certain medications. The medications that most often cause Vitamin B6 deficiency are Isoniazid, Cycloserine, Penicillamine, and oral contraceptives.

Though not conclusive, some inherited diseases may be due to deficiency of Vitamin B6. Patients with these diseases tend to improve when treated with B6 supplements.

The skin is among the first to show up deficiency of Vitamin B6. Many skin disorders have been associated with B6 deficiency, such as eczema, acne, allergies and seborrheic dermatitis. . Symptoms may include nails that are uneven, a sore tongue (glossitis) as well as changes in bones - which can include osteoporosis and arthritis.

Neural problems also erupt when there is a lack of Vitamin B6. Symptoms can include convulsions, confusion, and seizures in the case of severe deficiency.

Other deficiency related problems include anemia, depression, and fatigue. When anaemia is entirely related to B6 deficiency, it is usually classified as pernicious anaemia.

Vitamin B6 deficiency has not been recognized as a common disorder in HIV infected patients. The significance of low serum Vitamin B6 levels in this population is not well understood. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of all patients in our database of HIV infected individuals who have ever been evaluated for Vitamin B6 deficiency. 80 patients, 72 (90%) male, 8 (10%) female with a median age of 42 (26-72) years were identified. RESULTS: Abnormally low serum pyridoxine levels were found in 16 (20%), elevated levels in 15 (18.75%) and normal levels in 48 (61.25%) of patients in this cohort. Malnutrition, defined as a serum albumin level < 3.5 g/dl was found in only 6 (7.5%) patients and not significantly associated with a diagnosis of AIDS. Vitamin B6 deficiency was significantly associated with a diagnosis of AIDS, present in 94% vs. 59% (p<0.01, ANOVA).

In one of the largest epidemiological studies to evaluate B6 levels,the Tufts researchers sought to examine the vitamin B6 status in the US population. The scientists studied data on 6,000 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2003-2004), who were 1 years old or older. The scientists compared levels of plasma P5P and homocysteine (an amino acid implicated in heart disease and other conditions) with the subjects’ vitamin B6 intake.