Deficiency Diseases
Deficiency Diseases
A deficiency disease is caused by the long-term shortage of a particular nutrient in the diet. Each nutrient has a specific disease attached to it, and this one-to-one matching is among the most frequently asked factual items in CTET EVS.
The matching table
| Nutrient lacking | Disease | Main signs | Foods that prevent it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin A | Night blindness | Cannot see in dim light, dry eyes | Carrot, papaya, green leaves, milk |
| Vitamin B1 | Beriberi | Weak muscles, swollen legs | Whole grains, pulses, groundnut |
| Vitamin C | Scurvy | Bleeding gums, slow healing of wounds | Amla, guava, orange, lemon |
| Vitamin D | Rickets in children | Soft, bent bones and legs | Sunlight, milk, egg, fish |
| Calcium | Weak bones and teeth | Bones break easily, poor teeth | Milk, curd, ragi, green leaves |
| Iron | Anaemia | Tiredness, pale skin, breathlessness | Green leafy vegetables, jaggery, dates |
| Iodine | Goitre | Swelling in the neck | Iodised salt, sea fish |
| Protein | Kwashiorkor and marasmus | Swelling, thin limbs, poor growth | Dal, milk, egg, soyabean |
The pairs most often confused
- Vitamin C gives scurvy and vitamin D gives rickets. The letters are close and the options exploit it.
- Anaemia is iron, not calcium; calcium shortage weakens bones and teeth.
- Goitre is iodine, which is why common salt in India is iodised by law.
- Vitamin A protects the eyes, which is why a night-blindness question always points to carrots and green leaves.
Prevention in a school setting
- A balanced mid-day meal, especially green leafy vegetables and pulses.
- Iron and folic acid supplements and deworming under school health programmes.
- Sunlight and outdoor play, which supply vitamin D free of cost.
- Iodised salt at home, which the child can be asked to check.
A teacher who notices constant tiredness, pale eyelids or frequent illness should inform the family and the school health system rather than treat it as laziness — a link CTET makes between EVS content and the teacher's role.
✗ Scurvy is caused by lack of vitamin D. | ✓ Scurvy is caused by lack of vitamin C; vitamin D deficiency causes rickets.
✗ Anaemia is caused by a lack of calcium. | ✓ Anaemia is caused by a lack of iron.
संकेत: विटामिन A — रतौंधी, C — स्कर्वी, D — रिकेट्स, लोहा — रक्ताल्पता, आयोडीन — घेंघा।
This is the single most predictable EVS topic, giving one or two questions almost every cycle in a direct matching form. Memorise the table and rehearse the two confusable pairs: C with scurvy against D with rickets, and iron with anaemia against calcium with weak bones. Goitre and iodine is the easiest mark in the section. Questions sometimes come the other way round, giving a symptom and asking for the missing nutrient, so learn the signs column too.
Frequently asked questions
Which vitamin deficiency causes night blindness?
Vitamin A. A person lacking it cannot see properly in dim light and may develop dry eyes. Carrots, papaya, mango, green leafy vegetables, milk and egg yolk are the usual preventive foods.
What is the difference between scurvy and rickets?
Scurvy is caused by a lack of vitamin C and shows as bleeding gums and wounds that heal slowly. Rickets is caused by a lack of vitamin D and shows as soft, bent bones in children.
Why is common salt iodised in India?
Because iodine deficiency causes goitre, a swelling of the neck, and also affects mental development in children. Adding iodine to salt is the cheapest way to reach the whole population.
60-second recap
- Vitamin A - night blindness; B1 - beriberi; C - scurvy; D - rickets.
- Iron - anaemia; calcium - weak bones and teeth; iodine - goitre.
- Protein shortage causes kwashiorkor and marasmus.
- Watch the C-scurvy against D-rickets pair and iron against calcium.
- Prevention: balanced mid-day meal, sunlight, iodised salt, supplements.