Treating Metabolism Errors With Vitamins

Inborn errors arise due to defects in the uterus at the time of conceiving. These occur due to development of defect in a single gene. These are not genetic errors. Certain vitamins have shown to aid in treatment of these inborn errors in metabolism.

Pyridoxine

The vitamin is used to treat hypochromic anemia. In this condition, the blood serum contains excess amounts of iron due to deficiency of the enzyme delta aminolaevulinic acid. Normally 20 mg to 100 mg of pyridoxine is able to handle the condition.

Cystathionuria is a condition characterized by congenital defects and mental retardation. There is an increased tendency to bleed and urine carries large amounts of amino acid cystathionine since the body can not metabolize it. The condition responds to high doses, i.e., more than 10 mg per day of the vitamin.

Likewise, the vitamin helps in treatment of homocystinuria, xanthurenic aciduria and infantile convulsions. Infantile convulsions occur right after the birth.

Thiamine

Due to deficiency of the enzyme private carboxylase, there are low levels of sugar in the blood accompanied by acidosis. The condition is referred to as lactic acidosis. It easily responds when 10 mg of thiamine is given every day.

The vitamin is helpful in case of maple-urine disease which is characterized by delayed development of nervous system.

Nicotinamide

Nicotinamide is able to make it up for the Hartnup disease. This disease is characterized by mental disturbances and skin rashes this is because the intestine can not absorb enzyme tryptophan. It responds well to excess dose of 100 mg of Nicotinamide.

Folic Acid

Folic acid is given in high doses to deal with congenital defect in folate absorption and formimino-transfereace enzyme deficiency.

Vitamin B12

Megaloblastic anemia responds only to vitamin B12 if given in the form of injection (IV). Injections are equally effective while treating Methylmaloniaciduria. In this condition large amount of methlymalonic acid is secreted in the urine and there is development of acidosis in the blood of the baby.

Vitamin D

Dose as high as 1000,000 IU may be used to deal with hereditary vitamin D-resistant rickets. But consumption of such high doses may cause intoxication. Vitamin D is also used to deal with Fanconi`s syndrome and primary renal tubular acidosis.