Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
Supplements, ahoy.
Doctors in developed nations across the globe are increasingly on the lookout for scurvy, a rare nutritional deficiency — specifically, from a lack of vitamin C — that occurs more often among the malnourished in the developing world and has long been associated with sailors and pirates.
Medical officials in Australia were the latest to sound the alarm, saying the disease appears to be on the rebound due to the increased cost of living and surgeries aimed at helping people lose weight, according to the New York Post.
“Scurvy is still seen as a disease of the past, especially in developed countries,” Australian doctors wrote in BMJ Case Reports. “However, sporadic cases of scurvy occur, especially in the elderly, patients with alcoholism and children with psychiatric or developmental problems.”
The latest reported case was seen in an ex-smoker in his 50s who went to a hospital after complaining of a painful rash on his legs that “seemingly came out of nowhere,” the Post said. He also had blood in his urine, was suffering from anemia and had a low red blood cell count, according to physicians in western Australia.
Doctors discovered that the man, whose living conditions were reportedly “poor,” had undetectable vitamin C levels and “other nutritional deficiencies,” the Post reported.
“His meals mostly comprised processed food, lacking in vegetables or fruit,” the case report said. “Sometimes he would skip meals, which occurred more frequently in recent weeks.
“He had also stopped taking the vitamin and mineral supplements prescribed following gastric bypass surgery, as he was unable to afford them.”
The case followed reports earlier this month of a 65-year-old Toronto woman diagnosed with the disease last year.
A Canadian Medical Association Journal report from Oct. 7 cited the case of a woman who was treated at a local emergency department after experiencing “progressive leg weakness and poor mobility.” She also had skin lesions, anemia and other symptoms, according to the study.
She was later diagnosed with scurvy.
Recommended video
People with a low socioeconomic status or not enough quality food to eat are more at risk of developing the disease. But scurvy can be challenging to diagnose quickly with early symptoms including fatigue, weakness and irritability.
As the disease progresses, common signs include “corkscrew” hairs, bruising, hematoma formation, gum disease and anemia.
In the U.S., the Post reported that the incidence of scurvy in children had more than tripled from 2016 to 2020, jumping from 8.2 cases per 100,000 to 26.7 per 100,000. In general, patients tended to be younger, male, obese and from low-income families, with about 65% having been diagnosed with autism.
For more health news and content around diseases, conditions, wellness, healthy living, drugs, treatments and more, head to Healthing.ca – a member of the Postmedia Network.