Vitamins and minerals: wet beriberi: practice question

A Biochemistry question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Biochemistry · Vitamins and minerals: wet beriberi

Sample item

A malnourished man living on polished rice has breathlessness, bilateral leg oedema, warm extremities, a wide pulse pressure and a high cardiac output. Deficiency of which vitamin is the most likely cause?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. Thiamine

Thiamine pyrophosphate is a cofactor for pyruvate dehydrogenase and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase. Deficiency causes pyruvate and lactate build-up and peripheral vasodilation, leading to high-output cardiac failure called wet beriberi. Polished rice lacks the thiamine-rich husk.

Option by option

  • A. Riboflavin

    Riboflavin deficiency causes cheilosis, glossitis and angular stomatitis.

  • B. Cobalamin

    Cobalamin deficiency causes megaloblastic anaemia and neuropathy, not high-output failure.

  • C. Thiamine (correct)

    Correct. Thiamine deficiency causes vasodilatory high-output failure.

  • D. Niacin

    Niacin deficiency causes dermatitis, diarrhoea and dementia.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Biochemistry question

What is the answer to this Biochemistry question?

The best answer is C, Thiamine. Thiamine pyrophosphate is a cofactor for pyruvate dehydrogenase and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase.

Why is "Riboflavin" not the answer?

Riboflavin deficiency causes cheilosis, glossitis and angular stomatitis.

Why is "Cobalamin" not the answer?

Cobalamin deficiency causes megaloblastic anaemia and neuropathy, not high-output failure.

Why is "Niacin" not the answer?

Niacin deficiency causes dermatitis, diarrhoea and dementia.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Vitamins and minerals: wet beriberi in Biochemistry. Deficiency causes pyruvate and lactate build-up and peripheral vasodilation, leading to high-output cardiac failure called wet beriberi. Polished rice lacks the thiamine-rich husk.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Vitamins and minerals: wet beriberi?

Build one table of enzyme deficiency, disease, inheritance and key finding, then revise it by spaced recall. Then use the flashcards and the other Biochemistry questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.