Symptoms and Signs of Nutritional Deficiency
Area/System | Symptom or Sign | Deficiency |
|---|---|---|
General appearance | Wasting | Total calories |
Skin | Rash | Many vitamins, zinc, essential fatty acids |
Rash in sun-exposed areas | ||
Easy bruising | ||
Hair and nails | Thinning or loss of hair | |
Premature whitening of hair | ||
Spooning (upcurling) of nails | ||
Eyes | Impaired night vision | |
Corneal keratomalacia (corneal drying and clouding) | ||
Mouth | Cheilosis and glossitis | |
Bleeding gums | ||
Extremities | Edema | |
Nervous system | Paresthesias or numbness in a stocking-glove distribution | Thiamin (beriberi) |
Tetany | ||
Cognitive and sensory deficits | ||
Dementia | ||
Musculoskeletal system | Wasting of muscle | Protein |
Bone deformities (eg, bowlegs, knocked knees, curved spine) | , calcium | |
Bone tenderness | ||
Joint pain or swelling | ||
Gastrointestinal system | Diarrhea | Protein, , folate, vitamin B12 |
Diarrhea and dysgeusia | ||
Dysphagia or odynophagia (due to Plummer-Vinson syndrome) | ||
Endocrine system | Thyromegaly |