pellagra
/pɛˈlaɡrə
/ /pɛˈleɪɡrə/noun [mass noun]
A deficiency disease caused by a lack of nicotinic acid or its precursor tryptophan in the diet. It is characterized by dermatitis, diarrhoea, and mental disturbance, and is often linked to over-dependence on maize as a staple food.Those highly dependent on corn as a food might develop pellagra and this chronic disease, causing dermatitis, diarrhea, and ultimately dementia, battered the population of European corn growing regions during the nineteenth century....
- Deficiency leads to pellagra, a condition characterized by dermatitis, diarrhea and certain mental health problems.
- The troops suffered from malaria, dengue fever, beriberi, hookworm and pellagra.
Derivatives
pellagrous
/ /pɛˈleɪɡrəs / adjective ...- Why must they suffer these unsightly pellagrous lesions, and all the accompanying discomforts?
Origin
Early 19th century: from Italian, from pelle 'skin', on the pattern of podagra.