avitaminosis

/ə,vaitəmi'nousis/

Thân thiện

A doctor explains the dangers of avitaminosis to a patient.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A disease caused by a deficiency of one or more vitamins: "Avitaminosis" refers to any pathological condition resulting from the lack of sufficient vitamins in the diet or from the body's inability to absorb or utilize them properly.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • Scurvy is a classic example of avitaminosis, specifically a deficiency of vitamin C.
  • Prolonged malnutrition can lead to various forms of avitaminosis.
  • The doctor diagnosed the patient's skin and vision problems as a form of avitaminosis.

Advanced Usage

• Medical Context: The term is primarily used in medical, nutritional, and scientific contexts to classify deficiency diseases.
  • The research paper studied the effects of chronic avitaminosis on bone development.

Variants and Related Words

• Hypovitaminosis (n): A condition of suboptimal vitamin levels, which is less severe than a full deficiency causing avitaminosis.
• Vitamin deficiency (n): A more general term for a lack of vitamins, which can lead to avitaminosis.

Synonyms

• Deficiency disease: A disease caused by the lack of an essential nutrient.
• Vitamin deficiency disorder: A disorder resulting from insufficient vitamin intake.

Related Terms (Not Phrasal Verbs)

• Beriberi: A disease caused by thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency, a type of avitaminosis.
• Pellagra: A disease caused by niacin (vitamin B3) deficiency, a type of avitaminosis.
• Rickets: A disease caused by vitamin D deficiency, a type of avitaminosis.

Học thuật

Noun

1. any of several diseases caused by deficiency of one or more vitamins

Từ đồng nghĩa

• hypovitaminosis