Pellagra Quiz

Check your symptoms and
find possible causes with AI for free

Reviewed By:

Saqib Baig

Saqib Baig, MD, MS (Respiratory medicine, Critical Care, Internal medicine)

Dr. Baig graduated from Army Medical College (NUST) Pakistan in 2007. He did his internal medicine training from Baltimore, Maryland, USA during the years 2009-2013. He joined the internal medicine faculty practice at Medical College of Wisconsin in USA for 2 years before pursuing advanced training. He completed his pulmonary disease and critical care medicine fellowship from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School from 2015-2018. | | During his fellowship, Dr. Baig completed his master's in health care services management through Rutgers Business School. He currently serves as the medical director of respiratory therapy and pulmonary function lab and the clinical director of the COPD program at the Jane and Leonard Korman Respiratory Institute at Thomas Jefferson University. He holds the Assistant Professor of Medicine rank at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Baig's interests lie in respiratory physiology, airways disease, and data science.

Yukiko Ueda

Yukiko Ueda, MD (Dermatology)

Dr. Ueda graduated from the Niigata University School of Medicine and trained at the University of Tokyo Medical School. She is currently a clinical assistant professor at the Department of Dermatology, Jichi Medical University, and holds several posts in the dermatology departments at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Komagome Hospital, University of Tokyo, and the Medical Center of Japan Red Cross Society.

From our team of 50+ doctors

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How Ubie can help you

With an easy 3-min questionnaire, Ubie's AI-powered system will generate a free report on possible causes.

  • Over 1,000 medical centers, trained by over 50 doctors, and still improving.

  • Questions are customized to your situation and symptoms

  • Pellagra as well as similar diseases can be checked at the same time.

Your symptoms

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Our AI checks your symptoms

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Personalized Report

✔︎  When to see a doctor

✔︎  What causes your symptoms

✔︎  Treatment information etc.

People with these symptoms also use Ubie's symptom checker to find possible causes

  • Discolored macules or moles on skin/mucus membranes

  • Constipation and diarrhea

  • Black, blue, or brown spots on the skin or elsewhere

  • Red rash

  • Black/blue/brown spots or moles, on the skin and lining of the mouth

  • Diarrhea throughout the whole day

  • Moles or spots of different colors on skin or lining of the mouth

Just 3 minutes.
Developed by doctors.

Learn more about Pellagra

Content updated on Sep 20, 2022

What is pellagra?

Pellagra is a systemic disease caused by a severe deficiency of vitamin B3 (Niacin). A mild deficiency might go unnoticed, but a chronically low or Niacin-free diet can result in symptoms. The primary symptoms include diarrhea, skin inflammation, inflammation of the mucous linings (inside the mouth), mental confusion, and weakness. If untreated, it can lead to death.

Symptoms of pellagra

  • Redness in sun-exposed areas of skin

  • Black/blue/brown spots or moles, on the skin and lining of the mouth

  • Diarrhea

  • Skin redness or red bumpy rashes

Questions your doctor may ask to check for pellagra

Your doctor may ask these questions to diagnose pellagra

  • Do you have redness on the sun-exposed areas of your skin?

  • Are there black, blue, or brown spots on the skin or elsewhere? (Including moles)

  • Do you have loose stools or diarrhea?

  • Do you have red skin or red spots on the skin?

Treatment for pellagra

Pellagra is treated with dietary changes and supplementation of niacin or nicotinamide (another form of vitamin B-3). These vitamins can be given orally or injected intravenously. With early treatment, many people fully recover and begin to feel better within a few days of starting treatment.

View the symptoms of Pellagra

References

  • Viljoen M, Bipath P, Tosh C. Pellagra in South Africa from 1897 to 2019: a scoping review. Public Health Nutr. 2021 Jun;24(8):2062-2076. doi: 10.1017/S1368980021001336. Epub 2021 Mar 26. PMID: 33769244.

    https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/pellagra-in-south-africa-from-1897-to-2019-a-scoping-review/5D2EC1BADFCB0360609534C552D232AF

  • PELLAGRA. JAMA. 2020 May 26;323(20):2100. doi: 10.1001/jama.2019.13455. PMID: 32453356.

    https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2766404

  • Li P, Lou Y. The Pellagra Problem. JAMA. 2021 Aug 10;326(6):573. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.18074. PMID: 34374730; PMCID: PMC8709778.

    https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2782875

User testimonials

Reviewed By:

Saqib Baig

Saqib Baig, MD, MS (Respiratory medicine, Critical Care, Internal medicine)

Dr. Baig graduated from Army Medical College (NUST) Pakistan in 2007. He did his internal medicine training from Baltimore, Maryland, USA during the years 2009-2013. He joined the internal medicine faculty practice at Medical College of Wisconsin in USA for 2 years before pursuing advanced training. He completed his pulmonary disease and critical care medicine fellowship from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School from 2015-2018. | | During his fellowship, Dr. Baig completed his master's in health care services management through Rutgers Business School. He currently serves as the medical director of respiratory therapy and pulmonary function lab and the clinical director of the COPD program at the Jane and Leonard Korman Respiratory Institute at Thomas Jefferson University. He holds the Assistant Professor of Medicine rank at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Baig's interests lie in respiratory physiology, airways disease, and data science.

Yukiko Ueda

Yukiko Ueda, MD (Dermatology)

Dr. Ueda graduated from the Niigata University School of Medicine and trained at the University of Tokyo Medical School. She is currently a clinical assistant professor at the Department of Dermatology, Jichi Medical University, and holds several posts in the dermatology departments at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Komagome Hospital, University of Tokyo, and the Medical Center of Japan Red Cross Society.

From our team of 50+ doctors

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Shohei Harase, MD

Neurology

Kameda Medical Center, Japan

Yu Shirai

Yu Shirai, MD

Psychiatry

Yotsuya Yui Clinic, Japan

Yoshinori Abe

Yoshinori Abe, MD

Internal medicine

Co-founder of Ubie, Inc.

Rohini R

Rohini R, MD

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Bayshore Health Centre, India

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Seiji Kanazawa, MD, PHD

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National Center for Child Health and Development, Japan

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