Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Mar;37(2):99-104.
doi: 10.1111/phpp.12659. Epub 2021 Feb 2.

Pellagra a review exploring causes and mechanisms, including isoniazid-induced pellagra

Dhanashree Prabhu  1 , Robert S Dawe  1 , Kelvin Mponda  2
Affiliations
Review

Pellagra a review exploring causes and mechanisms, including isoniazid-induced pellagra

Dhanashree Prabhu et al. Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed. 2021 Mar.

Abstract

Pellagra is a clinical syndrome caused by a deficiency of niacin (nicotinic acid) and/or its precursor tryptophan. The cardinal manifestations are 4 D's: dermatitis, diarrhoea, dementia and in worst case death. Increased use of isoniazid prophylaxis along with antiretroviral therapy in countries where latent tuberculosis is common has been associated with increased presentations with pellagra.

Keywords: Hartnup's disease; carcinoid syndrome; drug-induced pellagra; isoniazid; niacin; nutrition; pellagra; photosensitivity; tryptophan.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Charles MK, Lindegren ML, Wester CW, et al. Implementation of tuberculosis intensive case finding, isoniazid preventive therapy, and infection control ("Three I's") and HIV-tuberculosis service integration in lower income countries. PLoS ONE. 2016;11(4):e0153243.
    1. Berdanier CD. Corn, niacin, and the history of pellagra. Nutr Today. 2019;54:283-288.
    1. Brown TM. Pellagra: an old enemy of timeless importance. Psychosomatics. 2010;51(2):93-97.
    1. Malfait P, Moren A, Dillon JC, et al. An outbreak of pellagra related to changes in dietary niacin among Mozambican refugees in Malawi. Int J Epidemiol. 1993;22(3):504-511.
    1. Seal AJ, Creeke PI, Dibari F, et al. Low and deficient niacin status and pellagra are endemic in postwar Angola. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007;85(1):218-224.

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources