Severe scurvy: an underestimated disease

Abstract

Scurvy is one of the oldest diseases in human history. Nowadays, although scurvy tends to become a forgotten disease in developed country, rare cases still occur, especially in people undergoing extreme diet, old people or children with poor diet and patients with malabsorption. We describe three cases of scurvy. The first case is a patient diagnosed with Crohn's disease, the second one is in a context of anorexia nervosa and drug addiction, and the third case is in a context of social isolation. Early recognition of scurvy can be difficult because symptoms may appear nonspecific and can mimic more common conditions. In any patient with spontaneous hematoma and purpura, in the context of nutritional disorder, scurvy should be systematically considered. As this disease can lead to severe complications, such as bone pain, heart failure or gastrointestinal symptoms, nothing should delay vitamin C supplementation, which is a simple and rapidly effective treatment.

The Roles and Mechanisms of Actions of Vitamin C in Bone: New Developments

“…Today scurvy is a rare condition in developed countries, found primarily among individuals in circumstances related to malnourishment (e.g. homelessness, isolation) or in persons with allergies to foods which typically contain vitamin C (5) .…”

“…Subsequently, it was determined to be a form of vitamin C and was later renamed ascorbic acid (AA). (4) Today, scurvy is a rare condition in developed countries, found primarily among individuals in circumstances related to malnourishment (eg, homelessness, isolation) or in persons with allergies to foods that typically contain vitamin C. (5) The Role of Vitamin C in Nonskeletal Tissues Vitamin C affects multiple tissues because of its global functioning as an essential component of collagen synthesis and as an antioxidant. AA is involved in the synthesis of collagen by influencing the function of prolyl hydroxylase domain (PHD) protein, which hydroxylates prolines that are important for collagen assembly.…”

Scurvy — A Forgotten Disease Under the Guise of Hemorrhagic Vasculitis

“…Лабораторные исследования уровня витамина С и гистологическое подтверждение фолликулярно-го гиперкератоза и перифолликулярных кровоиз-лияний необязательны, но могут быть полезными в атипичных или осложненных случаях заболева-ния [6,25,26]. Концентрация витамина С в сыворот-ке ниже 20 мкмоль/л ассоциирована с неспецифиче-скими проявлениями заболевания -слабостью, по-терей аппетита; концентрация ниже 11,4 мкмоль/л служит подтверждением диагноза цинги [3,6].…”

Haemodynamic instability of uncommon aetiology in Switzerland

“…Clinical manifestations appear when the total body amount of vitamin is lower than 350 mg (typically after 60–90 days with no intake) 7. The oral standard vitamin complex usually administered to alcoholic patients in Switzerland does not include ascorbic acid, and vitamin C concentration is almost never measured in this population.…”