Deficiency (medicine)
In medicine, a deficiency is a lack or shortage of a functional entity, by less than normal or necessary supply or function.[1]
Nutrients[]
Malnutrition can cause various effects by deficiency of one or more nutrients. For example, vitamin A deficiency causes symptoms such as xerophthalmia (dry eyes) and night blindness.
Endogenously produced proteins[]
Deficiencies of endogenously produced proteins such as enzymes are the underlying mechanisms of almost all genetic disorders, for example the inborn errors of metabolism.
See also[]
References[]
- ^ TheFreeDictionary > deficiency. Citing:
- Dorland's Medical Dictionary for Health Consumers. © 2007
- Miller-Keane Encyclopedia & Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. 2003
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