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While the entire body is likely to be impacted, beriberi is classified by the body system most affected: either the cardiovascular or nervous and muscular systems. The patient’s diet and activity level are the primary determining factors for which type develops, although some overlap can occur. These primary types are:

• Wet beriberi. Impacts the cardiovascular system. This type tends to occur in patients with high caloric intake and active lifestyles. It is characterized by fluid retention within the body and damage to the heart. One type of wet beriberi, Shoshin beriberi or acute fulminant cardiovascular beriberi, results from a rapid, initial injury to the heart and proceeds much faster than typical wet beriberi.
  
  
• Dry beriberi. impacts the nervous and muscular systems. Patients with low caloric intake and sedentary lifestyles are more likely to develop this type. It generally includes difficulties in movement and impaired mental function. When the disease impacts the brain or central nervous system, it may be further classified as cerebral beriberi or Wernicke Korsakoff Syndrome.

Beriberi may be further described by the population affected or the cause of thiamine deficiency causing the conditions. Examples include:

• Infantile beriberi. This typically appears in children younger than four months and is associated with a high mortality rate unless diagnosed and treated promptly. It may be caused by breastfeeding mothers who are themselves thiamine deficient or formula-feeding infants with a formula without the proper balance of nutrients.
  
  
• Genetic beriberi. An inherited medical condition in which the body cannot absorb thiamine from food. Example of genetic beriberi may include subacute necrotizing encephalopathy (SNE), maple syrup urine disease and lactic acidosis.