Scurvy case study
Scurvy was once a condition rife among sailors who spent long periods out at sea, but now a very rare condition we now know to be caused by Vitamin C deficiency.
Most people in modern society wouldn’t give scurvy a second thought, our knowledge and awareness of health issues means this is a condition very few of us have to worry about.
However, there are some groups in society, particularly the elderly, those who smoke or have a drug or alcohol dependency and those on a low income who are at risk of developing scurvy.
The body is not able to synthesise Vitamin C itself, to avoid scurvy it is important to obtain healthy amounts of Vitamin C from our diets. Some of the possible symptoms include muscle and joint pain, purple discolouration of the skin (purpura), tiredness, bleeding and swelling of the gums and corkscrew shaped body hairs.
As part of Nutrition and Hydration Awareness Week we’re highlighting a case from 2013 when the GSTS (now Viapath) Nutristasis team identified scurvy in a man who presented to A&E at St. Thomas’ Hospital with some of these symptoms.
"The patient presented at St. Thomas' Hospital with the classic symptoms of scurvy including pain, purpura and corkscrew hairs.” says David Card, Clinical Scientist in Nutristasis who worked on this investigation.
“His diagnosis was confirmed by laboratory analysis, which showed vitamin C was undetectable in his blood. His diet was consistent with very low vitamin C intake and he responded dramatically to vitamin C supplements.”
“I was lucky enough to meet the patient see how well he responded to the treatment, I was very pleased at his recovery and that we had been able to help diagnose his condition."
Click on the link below to read the full report which sets the scene, discusses the diagnosis and outlines the mechanisms of the condition and how the patient was treated.
Pain, purpura and curly hairs - scurvy case study
Further information
Keep an eye on our website for updates on Nutristasis online ordering, launching Spring 2015.
