Fat soluble vitamins vs Water soluble vitamins

The following are fat soluble vitamins: (Code: ADEK)

• Vitamin A - helps resist infection; part of the visual pigment; deficiency can lead to blindness and xerophthalmia. What is Xerophthalmia? - eyes unable to produce tears; dry eyes.
  
• Vitamin D - helps in intestinal absorption of Ca+ and PO4; also hepls in bone mineralization; lack of this vitamin may lead to Rickets (pedia) and osteomalacia in adults.
  
• Vitamin E - an antioxidant ( a free radical scavenger); lack of this vitamin may cause spinocerebellar degeneration.
  
• Vitamin K - helps in hepatic carboxylation of procoagulants such as Factor II or prothrombin and factors VII, IX, and X; lack of such may delay coagulation which will cause bleeding.
  

Water soluble vitamins:

• Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) - helps in conduction of nerve impulses in peripheral nerve; deficiency may lead to dry or wet beri-beri and Wernicke-Korsakoff's Syndrome (characterized by vision changes, ataxia, and impaired memory; often secondary to alcohol abuse).
  
• Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) - becomes coenzymes Flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and Flavin-adenine dinucleotide (FAD) - both are important in aiding other enzymes to facilitate metabolism.
• Niacin - together with nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and NAD phosphate (NADP) they are involved in oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions; deficiency may lead tp Pellagra (dementia, dermatitis, and diarrhea).
• Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) - serves as coenzymes; deficiency may lead to cheilosis (dry mouth), dermatitis, and peripheral neuropathy.
  
• Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin) - important for normal folate metabolism and DNA synthesis; maintains myelinazation of SC tracts; deficiency may lead to megaloblastic pernicious anemia and degeneration of posterolateral SC tracts.
  
• Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) - redox reactions and hydroxylation of collagen; deficeincy leads to scurvy.
  
• Folate - important in DNA synthesis; deficiency may lead to megaloblastic anemia.
  
• Pantothenic Acid - binds with coenzyme A; Deficiency: None that was recognized.
• Biotin - abundant in foods; helps in carboxylation reactions; deficiency: none that was recognized.

Source: Pathologic Basis of Diseases by Cotran, Kumar, and Robbins.