Scurvy: Forgotten but not gone
- 31 January 2003
- journal article
- case report
- Published by Wiley in Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health
- Vol. 39 (1) , 75-77
- https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1754.2003.00093.x
Abstract
Scurvy is still seen sporadically in the developed world. At a time when subclinical vitamin C deficiency in the general population is being recognized increasingly, the need for clinicians to be aware of this disease remains. We present the case of a 9‐year‐old boy admitted to hospital with musculoskeletal pain, weakness and changes in the skin and gums. After extensive investigation, he was found to have vitamin C deficiency resulting from a restricted eating pattern. Musculoskeletal complaints are a common mode of presentation of scurvy in children. Failure to appreciate this fact and the risk factors for poor vitamin C intake in the paediatric age group can result in unnecessary and invasive investigations for apparent ‘multisystem’ disease.Keywords
This publication has 11 references indexed in Scilit:
- Scurvy Presenting as Painful Gait With Bruising in a Young BoyArchives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 2000
- A painful limpJournal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 2000
- Vitamin C Status of an Outpatient PopulationJournal of the American College of Nutrition, 1998
- A boy with a limpThe Lancet, 1998
- Scurvy in AdolescenceJournal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 1994
- Scurvy occurring in a teenagerClinical and Experimental Dermatology, 1993
- Scurvy—the eternal masqueraderPaediatrics and International Child Health, 1989
- Scurvy. A case caused by peculiar dietary habitsArchives of Dermatology, 1984
- Scurvy: Bilateral lower extremity ecchymoses and paraparesisAnnals of Emergency Medicine, 1982
- Clinical manifestations of ascorbic acid deficiency in manThe American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1971