Scurvy
Scurvy is the state of Vitamin C deficiency. As the human body cannot produce vitamin C, serum
levels of this vitamin are solely dependent on dietary intake mainly from vegetables and fruits.
Vitamin C has an essential role in collagen formation of skin, gums, bones, and mucus membranes. It
also protects DNA, protein, and vessel walls from damage. Although scurvy is thought to be very rare
nowadays, it still can be found in elderly, college students and children who maintain poor diet on
daily basis . In general, it takes around 3 months for symptoms and signs to appear, ranging from
fever, fatigue, easy bruising, gum hypertrophy, poor wound healing, perifollicular hemorrhages,
anemia, and edema; to mood changes, depression, seizures, and ... Show more content on
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One study in the UK showed that in 2008 the weighted prevalence of low levels of Vitamin C (s
history and clinical examination are powerful tools to reach to an accurate diagnosis. However, it may
be difficult to reach to the diagnosis of scurvy especially when common symptoms are absent. The
classical findings in scurvy are swollen gums and gingival bleeding and those were not present in this
case. In fact, some studies reported rare manifestations of scurvy such a patient that initially presented
with anorexia nervosa and was eventually diagnosed with scurvy. In two separate case reports, scurvy
patients were admitted to a hospital after presenting with orthostatic hypotension and hematochezia.
The patient on this case report presented with perifollicular hemorrhages and ecchymoses on his lower
extremities, and despite poor dental hygiene, he did not have gingival hypertrophy, and denied gum
bleeding. In a similar report, a 38 year old male presented with knee pain, easy bruising but had
gingival bleeding, which may have suggested a more clear suspicion of Vitamin C deficiency, and
another presentation reported a 54 year old female with similar presentation as our patient but who
also complained of weight
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