May be caused by malnutrition or alcoholism or other nutritional impairments

• Characterized by gastrointestinal disturbances and erythema and nervous or mental disorders
• A disease caused by deficiency of niacin or tryptophan (or by a defect in the metabolic conversion of tryptophan to niacin)
• Vegetable eating wholly brought about King George's disease
• Disease from vitamin deficiency: everyone returned to tuck into confection of grape
• Disease caused by niacin and protein deficiency

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Word definitions in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
noun EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS ▪ Another form of mental disorder, pellagra , was associated clinically with diarrhoea and dermatitis. ▪ Colitis, which is histologically similar to ulcerative colitis, has also been described in association with pellagra . ▪ Eat ...

Wiktionary Word definitions in Wiktionary
n. (context pathology English) A disease, with skin lesions and mental confusion, primarily caused by a niacin deficiency.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary Word definitions in Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
chronic disease caused by dietary deficiency and characterized by skin eruptions, 1811, a hybrid formed from Latin pellis "skin" (see film (n.)) + Greek agra "a catching, seizure," related to agrein "to take, seize." But OED suggests it might be originally ...

WordNet Word definitions in WordNet
n. a disease caused by deficiency of niacin or tryptophan (or by a defect in the metabolic conversion of tryptophan to niacin); characterized by gastrointestinal disturbances and erythema and nervous or mental disorders; may be caused by malnutrition or ...

The Collaborative International Dictionary Word definitions in The Collaborative International Dictionary
Pellagra \Pel"la*gra\ (p[e^]l"l[.a]*gr[.a]), n. [It. pelle skin + agro rough.] (Med.) An affection of the skin, characterized by redness, especially in exposed areas, scaling and shedding of the skin, and accompanied with severe gastrointestinal disturbance ...