Biotin Deficiency

Biotin, a water-soluble vitamin, belongs to the group of B vitamins. Biotin is very essential for the body as it aids in the production of energy in the body from fats and carbohydrates. Another function of biotin is to manufacture fats in the body and also to excrete protein by-products. Biotin deficiency syndrome, a very rare kind of disease, can produce a number of side effects and diseases in a person. Below are the reasons which may lead to biotin deficiency, followed by the symptoms and treatment for the same.

Causes

To understand what causes this rare disorder, it is very important to know the sources of biotin which supply the body with it and what happens to biotin when it enters the body.

Our body gets its requirement of biotin fulfilled through the diet that an individual undertakes. Some of the foods which are considered an excellent source of biotin are grapefruit, liver, strawberries, brewer's yeast, bananas, watermelon, milk and peanuts. As far as absorption of biotin by the body is concerned, it is the upper small intestine which usually does it, although some of it might also be absorbed by the lower small intestine.

A biotin vitamin deficiency can occur on two accounts. Firstly, the person might be on some medication or drug which is depleting the biotin in the body. Some medicines which can cause a biotin deficiency are sedatives, anti-epileptic drugs such as carbamazepine, primidone, phenytoin and antibiotics such as penicillin, cephalosporins, macrolides, etc. Another cause could be the person suffering from a health condition such as diabetes which can cause a deficiency of biotin dependent enzymes in the body, leading to its deficiency.

Symptoms

• Skin inflammations
• Stress and depression
• Pain in the muscles
• Biotin deficiency produces abnormal skin sensations such as tingling, burning, numbness or prickling in the feet and the hands.
• Due to this, a person may experience hair loss or thinning of hair.
• It makes the skin dry and scaly. There might be sores in and around the mouth and nose.
• This deficiency may induce loss of appetite in a person or it can give a person the feeling of nausea.
• Causes heart irregularities in some people too.
• Besides these symptoms, some diseases which a person may suffer from are dermatitis, anemia, psoriasis, eczema and seborrhea.

Treatment

The RDA, i.e the recommended daily allowance of biotin is approximately 0.3 mg per day. If the vitamin B foods in the diet are not fulfilling this requirement, then biotin deficiency can be treated by taking certain biotin vitamin supplements. Certain medical researches suggest that pregnant women should especially take prenatal vitamins which contain biotin to avoid birth defects. Since biotin, even when taken in excess, does not produce any side effects, it is completely safe to include along with one's regular diet. Also, excess amounts of biotin are automatically eliminated from the kidney, so taking its supplement is completely safe.

Due to the various side effects and diseases that a biotin deficiency can cause in a person, it is very important that as soon as it is detected, either one's diet should be supplemented with foods rich in biotin or certain vitamin supplements are taken. This will ensure that these symptoms and diseases are prevented and the individual can lead a normal, healthy life.