Beriberi in Brazil: A Disease That Affects Indigenous People

• Published in: Food and nutrition bulletin Vol. 42; no. 3; pp. 427 - 436
• Main Authors: Assunção, Anne Karine Martins, Branco, Maria dos Remédios Freitas Carvalho, Santos, Thiago de Sousa, Costa, Silmery da Silva Brito, Júnior, José de Jesus Dias, Soeiro, Vanessa Moreira da Silva, Araújo, Adriana Soraya, Queiroz, Rejane Christine de Sousa, Frota, Maria Tereza Borges Araújo, Caldas, Arlene de Jesus Mendes, de Oliveira, Bruno Luciano Carneiro Alves, Santos, Alcione Miranda dos
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-09-2021
• Subjects: Beriberi - epidemiology; Brazil - epidemiology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Indigenous Peoples; Poverty; Thiamine; Brazil; thiamine; public health surveillance; thiamine deficiency; health indigenous service; micronutrient
• ISSN: 0379-5721; 1564-8265
• DOI: 10.1177/03795721211002057

Background:
Beriberi is the clinical manifestation of thiamine deficiency. It is multicausal and typically associated with poverty and food insecurity among vulnerable populations, such as indigenous people.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to carry out a spatial analysis of reported cases of beriberi among indigenous people in Brazil.
Methods:
Cross-sectional study using time series data on suspected cases of beriberi reported to the Ministry of Health via the FormSUS between July 2013 and September 2018. Indigenous villages were georeferenced, and Kernel density estimation was used to identify patterns of the spatial distribution of beriberi cases.
Results:
A total of 414 cases of beriberi were reported in the country of which 210 (50.7%) were indigenous people. All the cases in indigenous people occurred in states located in the Legal Amazon (Maranhão, Roraima, and Tocantins). Kernel density estimation showed high-density areas in Tocantins and Roraima.
Conclusions:
This is the first nationwide study of reported cases of beriberi. The findings can be used to guide actions that contribute to the monitoring and prevention of beriberi among indigenous people.