Scurvy | |
---|---|
Other names | Moeller's disease, Cheadle's disease, scorbutus,[1] Barlow's disease, hypoascorbemia,[1] 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[1][2] |
Causes | Lack of vitamin C[1] |
Risk factors | Mental disorders, unusual eating habits, homelessness, alcoholism, substance use disorder, intestinal malabsorption, dialysis,[2] voyages at sea (historic), being stuck adrift |
Diagnostic method | Based on symptoms[2] |
Treatment | Vitamin C supplements,[1] diet that contains fruit and vegetables (notably citrus) |
Frequency | Rare (contemporary)[2] |
Scurvy is a disease resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid).[1] Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, fatigue, and sore arms and legs.[1][2] Without treatment, decreased red blood cells, gum disease, changes to hair, and bleeding from the skin may occur.[1][3] As scurvy worsens, there can be poor wound healing, personality changes, and finally death from infection or bleeding.[2]
It takes at least a month of little to no vitamin C in the diet before symptoms occur.[1][2] In modern times, scurvy occurs most commonly in people with mental disorders, unusual eating habits, alcoholism, and older people who live alone.[2] Other risk factors include intestinal malabsorption and dialysis.[2]
While many animals produce their own vitamin C, humans and a few others do not.[2] 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.[2][4][5] Diagnosis is typically based on outward appearance, X-rays, and improvement after treatment.[2]
Treatment is with vitamin C supplements taken by mouth.[1] Improvement often begins in a few days with complete recovery in a few weeks.[2] Sources of vitamin C in the diet include citrus fruit and a number of vegetables, including red peppers, broccoli, and tomatoes.[2] Cooking often decreases the residual amount of vitamin C in foods.[2]
Scurvy is rare compared to other nutritional deficiencies.[2] It occurs more often in the developing world in association with malnutrition.[2] Rates among refugees are reported at 5 to 45 percent.[6] 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. [2] [7] During the Age of Sail, it was assumed that 50 percent of the sailors would die of scurvy on a major trip.[8] A Scottish surgeon in the Royal Navy, James Lind, is generally credited with proving that scurvy can be successfully treated with citrus fruit in 1753.[9] Nevertheless, it was not until 1795 that health reformers such as Gilbert Blane persuaded the Royal Navy to routinely give lemon juice to its sailors.[8][9]
However, the Spanish already knew about the use of citrus fruits as a remedy since the second half of the 16th century,[10] more than 100 years before the birth of James Lind, thanks to the treatise by Fray Agustín Farfán in 1579 under the title Tratado breve de anatomía y cirugía, y de algunas enfermedades where the use of oranges and lemons is recommended for the treatment of scurvy.
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