Scurvy
| Scurvy | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Moeller's disease, Cheadle's disease, scorbutus, Barlow's disease, hypoascorbemia, vitamin C deficiency |
| Scorbutic gums, a symptom of scurvy. The triangle-shaped areas between the teeth show redness of the gums. | |
| Specialty | Endocrinology |
| Symptoms | Weakness, feeling tired, changes to hair, sore arms and legs, gum disease, easy bleeding |
| Causes | Lack of vitamin C |
| Risk factors | Mental disorders, unusual eating habits, alcohol use disorder, substance use disorder, intestinal malabsorption, dialysis, voyages at sea (historic), being stuck adrift |
| Diagnostic method | Based on symptoms |
| Treatment | Vitamin C supplements, diet that contains fruit and vegetables (notably citrus) |
| Frequency | Rare (contemporary) |
Scurvy is a deficiency disease (state of malnutrition) resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, fatigue, and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, decreased red blood cells, gum disease, changes to hair, and bleeding from the skin may occur. As scurvy worsens, there can be poor wound healing, personality changes, and finally death from infection or bleeding.
It takes at least a month of little to no vitamin C in the diet before symptoms occur. In modern times, scurvy occurs most commonly in people with mental disorders, unusual eating habits, alcoholism, and older people who live alone. Other risk factors include intestinal malabsorption and dialysis.
While many animals produce their vitamin C, humans and a few others do not. Vitamin C, an antioxidant, is required to make the building blocks for collagen, carnitine, and catecholamines, and assists the intestines in the absorption of iron from foods. Diagnosis is typically based on outward appearance, X-rays, and improvement after treatment.
Treatment is with vitamin C supplements taken by mouth. Improvement often begins in a few days with complete recovery in a few weeks. Sources of vitamin C in the diet include citrus fruit and several vegetables, including red peppers, broccoli, and tomatoes. Cooking often decreases the residual amount of vitamin C in foods.
Scurvy is rare compared to other nutritional deficiencies. It occurs more often in the developing world in association with malnutrition. Rates among refugees are reported at 5 to 45 percent. Scurvy was described as early as the time of ancient Egypt, and historically it was a limiting factor in long-distance sea travel, often killing large numbers of people. During the Age of Sail, it was assumed that 50 percent of the sailors would die of scurvy on a major trip. In long sea voyages, crews were isolated from land for extended periods and these voyages relied on large staples of a limited variety of foods and the lack of fruits, vegetables, and other foods containing vitamin C in diets of sailors resulted in scurvy.