Are you an EPFL student looking for a semester project?
Work with us on data science and visualisation projects, and deploy your project as an app on top of Graph Search.
Concept
Hypervitaminosis A
Summary
Hypervitaminosis A refers to the toxic effects of ingesting too much preformed vitamin A (retinyl esters, retinol, and retinal). Symptoms arise as a result of altered bone metabolism and altered metabolism of other fat-soluble vitamins. Hypervitaminosis A is believed to have occurred in early humans, and the problem has persisted throughout human history. Toxicity results from ingesting too much preformed vitamin A from foods (such as fish liver or animal liver), supplements, or prescription medications and can be prevented by ingesting no more than the recommended daily amount.
Diagnosis can be difficult, as serum retinol is not sensitive to toxic levels of vitamin A, but there are effective tests available. Hypervitaminosis A is usually treated by stopping intake of the offending food(s), supplement(s), or medication. Most people make a full recovery. High intake of provitamin carotenoids (such as beta-carotene) from vegetables and fruits does not cause hypervitaminosis A.
Symptoms may include:
Changes in consciousness
Decreased appetite
Dizziness
Vision changes, double vision (young children)
Drowsiness
Headache
Irritability
Nausea
Poor weight gain (infants and children)
Skin and hair changes
Cracking at corners of the mouth
Hair loss
Higher sensitivity to sunlight
Oily skin and hair (seborrhea)
Skin peeling, itching
Vomiting
Yellow discoloration of the skin (aurantiasis cutis)
Signs
Abnormal softening of the skull bone (craniotabes—infants and children)
Blurred vision
Bone pain or swelling
Bulging fontanelle (infants)
Gastric mucosal calcinosis
Heart valve calcification
Hypercalcemia
Increased intracranial pressure manifesting as cerebral edema, papilledema, and headache (may be referred to as Idiopathic intracranial hypertension)
Liver damage
Premature epiphyseal closure
Spontaneous fracture
Uremic pruritus
Hypervitaminosis A results from excessive intake of preformed vitamin A. Genetic variations in tolerance to vitamin A intake may occur, so the toxic dose will not be the same for everyone.
Official source
About this result
This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.