VITAMIN B2 DEFICIENCY

also called Riboflavin Deficiency, a condition caused by a dietary lack of riboflavin (vitamin B2), an organic compound of the vitamin B complex. Deficiency is characterized by variable symptoms that may include reddening of the lips with cracks at the corners of the mouth (cheilosis); inflammation of the tongue (glossitis); ocular disturbances, such as vascularization of the eyeball with eyestrain and abnormal intolerance of light; and a greasy, scaly inflammation of the skin. Some disagreement persists as to the characteristic syndrome of riboflavin deficiency in humans because it tends to be associated with a deficiency of other vitamins, notably niacin (see pellagra).