deficiency disease
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A disease caused by a lack of an essential nutrient: A "deficiency disease" is a specific medical condition that results from the body not receiving a sufficient amount of a vital nutrient, such as a vitamin or mineral. It is a type of nutritional disorder.
Usage
- The term is used as a countable noun to classify and discuss specific illnesses with a known nutritional cause.
- It is typically used in medical, nutritional, and public health contexts.
Examples
- Noun:
- Scurvy is a classic deficiency disease caused by a lack of vitamin C.
- Public health programs aim to eliminate deficiency diseases in vulnerable populations.
- The doctor diagnosed the patient's condition as a nutritional deficiency disease.
Advanced Usage
- "to suffer from a deficiency disease": to be afflicted by an illness due to nutrient lack.
- Children in the impoverished region often suffer from deficiency diseases.
- "preventable deficiency disease": emphasizes that the illness could be avoided with proper nutrition.
- Rickets is a largely preventable deficiency disease.
Variants and Related Words
- Nutritional deficiency (n): A broader term for a shortage of any nutrient, which may or may not lead to a specific disease state.
- Blood tests revealed a nutritional deficiency.
- Avitaminosis (n): A specific type of deficiency disease resulting from a lack of vitamins.
- Avitaminosis can manifest in various ways depending on the missing vitamin.
Synonyms
- Nutritional disorder: A general term for any health problem related to diet and nutrient intake.
- Hypovitaminosis: A condition specifically resulting from a deficiency of vitamins.
Related Phrases
- Disease of deficiency: A less common, more descriptive phrase with the same meaning.
- The medical literature often refers to pellagra as a disease of deficiency.
Noun
- any disease caused by a lack of an essential nutrient (as a vitamin or mineral)