Scurvy: Clinical Aspects

Vitamin C (or ascorbic acid) is naturally present in many fruits and vegetables like orange, lemon, broccoli, spinach etc. The body requires this acid for the formation of collagen, which is an element of normal tissues.

It is also required for wound healing, vitamin and lipid metabolism and for the immune system. Its deficiency affects the normal tissue growth. Scurvy is caused by the lack of vitamin C in the body, mainly seen in teenagers.

Scurvy was very common in ancient times as in winters no fresh fruits were available and was the first disease known related to diet. Nowadays it mainly affects the people who remain in seas for long, in children with lack of vitamin C in diet, prisoners who are deprived from foods and infants who get less of mother’s milk.

Symptoms

Major symptoms of scurvy are swollen and bleeding gums, anemia, joints and muscle ache and rashes on the legs. The main symptom is bleeding within the skin, which appears as small spots or bruises. Wounds also heal very slowly in this illness.

Scurvy develops very slowly. In the initial stages the person feels tired and depressed. Later on, all other symptoms develop, which are followed by lung and kidney diseases.

Diagnosis

When all the above symptoms occur then only one is suspected to be suffering from scurvy. The doctor makes some clinical tests, which confirm the disease.

Treatment

Some tablets and syrups rich in vitamin C are the general prescriptions made by the doctor.

One should take fruits and vegetables that are rich in vitamin C in the daily diet. Taking the juice of lemon and honey in warm water is also good to improve the condition.

Infants should be properly breast fed after the birth. The infants deprived of mother’s milk should be given cow’s milk and other vitamin C supplements. Children above the age of one should be given a balanced diet to avoid any kind of deficiencies.