Riboflavin deficiency rarely occurs alone and is often found in combination with deficiencies of other water-soluble vitamins.
Symptoms of riboflavin deficiency may include:
- Sore throat
- Redness and swelling of the mouth and throat
- Cracks at the corner of the mouth
- Inflammation and redness of the tongue (glossitis)
- Vascular malformation in the cornea of the eyes (sensitivity to light, sandy sensation in the eye; visual deterioration).
- Itching (pruritus)
- Skin flakes and seborrheic dermatitis
- Normocytic normochromic anemia (in severe riboflavin deficiency).
Severe riboflavin deficiency can interfere with the metabolism of vitamin B6 as well as the formation of niacin from tryptophan.
One study showed that pregnant women who were deficient in riboflavin had 4.7 times the risk of developing EPH gestosis. EHP gestosis can lead to eclampsia and seriously endanger the life of the pregnant woman and her unborn child.
