Avitaminosis is any disease caused by chronic or long-term vitamin deficiency or caused by a defect in metabolic conversion, such as tryptophan to niacin. They are designated by the same letter as the vitamin. Conversely hypervitaminosis is the syndrome of symptoms caused by over-retention of fat-soluble vitamins in the body. ==Types== Avitaminose... Found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avitaminosis