Medical Case Reports

Pellagra: A Report of Two Cases

Pellagra usually results from niacin deficiency and presents with the classic triad of dermatitis, diarrhea, and dementia, and eventually death, if it is untreated. It is extremely rare in industrialized societies but is endemic at very low levels amongst the rural poor in Africa, with few cases recorded during “hungry season”. However, when a disaster affects this continent and populations became entirely dependent on food aid, pellagra turns out the most frequent clinical feature of nutritional deficiency. We report two cases of pellagra in a population dependent on food assistance since cyclone Idai, in Ndeja Resettlement Camp, Mozambique.
 

Author(s):

Ana Pinto de Oliveira*, and Saringo António

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