Yellow skin? it could be a symptom of vitamin A excess

Our bodies need vitamin intake in order to function optimally. Even so, there are rules for meeting daily vitamin needs. The amount of vitamin intake that must be fulfilled by each person can vary because it depends on gender, age, and activity. The most important thing is not to have shortcomings, let alone advantages. If excessive, this condition is called hypervitaminosis and causes the body to show various negative symptoms that are detrimental to your health. So, what are the signs and symptoms of excess vitamin A (hypervitaminosis A)? What is the effect of excess vitamin A on the body?

How much vitamin A does the body need?

Based on the Nutritional Adequacy Rate (RDA) issued by the Indonesian Ministry of Health, the following is the dose of vitamin A needed per day:

0 to 6 months: 375 mcg
7 months to 3 years: 400 mcg
4 to 6 years: 450 mcg
7 to 9 years: 500 mcg
Boys 10 to 80 years and over: 600 mcg
Women 10 to 18 years: 600 mcg
Women 19 to 80 years and over: 500 mcg
Pregnant women in the 1st to 2nd trimesters: plus 300 mcg of normal intake
3rd trimester pregnant women: plus 350 mcg of normal intake
First year breastfeeding mother: plus 350 mcg of normal intake

The cause of someone experiencing excess vitamin A

Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin. After being absorbed from the digestive tract, then vitamin A will be stored in fat cells and liver for a long time. If it needs to be used, the body will release it little by little so that the reserves do not run out immediately.

The more your daily intake of vitamin A, the more reserves it builds up in your liver over time. Because the shelf life in the body is very long, a person is very at risk of excess vitamin A. Excess of this vitamin can cause toxic effects or harmful toxins to the body.

Hypervitaminosis A is more common in people who mostly supplement high doses of vitamin A on an ongoing basis, regardless of the original purpose of maintaining a healthy body or preventing or treating certain diseases. This condition can also be caused by long-term use of acne medications containing high doses of vitamin A such as isotretinoin (Sotret, Absorica).

Various symptoms that arise due to excess vitamin A

The symptoms that arise from excess vitamin A can vary depending on the severity of the condition. Does the hypervitaminosis occur briefly within a few hours or daily (acute) or persist in the long term (chronic).

Symptoms of acute vitamin A excess:

Unbearable drowsiness.
Easy to get angry.
Stomach ache.
Nausea.
Gag.

Acute poisoning can occur after you have consumed high doses of vitamin A for a short time. Cases like this are generally more common in children due to accidental consumption of vitamins. For example, a child may take a vitamin supplement himself without the parents knowing it, thinking it is candy.

Symptoms of chronic vitamin A excess:

Blurry view.
Bones ache.
Decreased appetite.
Dizzy.
Nausea and vomiting.
Sensitive to sunlight.
Dry and rough skin.
Itchy and peeling skin.
Cracked skin at the corners of the mouth.
Hair loss.
Yellow skin.

Meanwhile, in infants and children the symptoms of chronic hypervitaminosis include:

Softened skull bones.
Double vision.
The eyeball looks more protruding out.
Bulge on the skull of the baby's head.
It is difficult to gain weight.
Coma.

What are the consequences of excess vitamin A?

As a result of excess vitamin A in the body, it can cause various damage to internal organs, especially the liver and kidneys. In addition, you are also at risk of developing osteoporosis. Because the excess vitamin A makes it difficult for the body to absorb vitamin D which is needed for healthy and strong bones.

How do you deal with excess vitamin A?

An effective way to treat this condition is to stop taking high doses of vitamin A supplements. Generally, after doing this method a person will recover completely within a few weeks.

However, if complications have occurred in the kidneys and / or liver, the doctor will treat them according to the severity and damage.