Scurvy

Causes

Scurvy is one of the oldest diseases known to man, even if it was not until 1932 to clearly identify its origin, which today we know is linked to a serious deficiency of ascorbic acid (vitamin C).

The daily requirement of this vitamin is around 90 mg, but 10 a day is enough to prevent the manifestations of scurvy for several months or years. This is a negligible amount of vitamin C, contained, for example, in three grams of fresh red peppers, or in 10 grams of kiwifruit or 20 grams of orange.

However, C is a fragile vitamin, which is lost with cooking, prolonged storage, sunlight and chopping food; for this reason scurvy has long been a typical disease of sailors, deprived of fresh vegetables during the endless ocean crossings.

The need for this vitamin increases as a result of various types of physical and psychological efforts; it is no coincidence that scurvy was typical of the soldiers and the aforementioned sailors (among the crew members the scurvy manifested itself with a certain uniformity around the third-fourth month of navigation).

Apart from scurvy, there is a certain diversity of opinions on the dosages of vitamin C necessary for optimal human health; they range from supporters of the old RDA (60 mg / day) to those of megadoses (2 or more grams per day). some of the professionals, who agree on the usefulness of supplementing the diet with vitamin C, still recommend dosages between 180 and 1000 mg per day.

Scurvy can also appear in children between 6 and 18 months fed exclusively with pasteurized milk or boiled cow's milk (Moeller-Barlow's disease). Vitamin C is in fact sufficient in breast milk but not in cow's milk; moreover, its content strongly decreases with sterilization. It is therefore no coincidence that vitamin C needs slightly increase during pregnancy and breastfeeding, but also in situations of alcoholism, heavy smoking, acute illnesses and long-term drug therapies.

Scurvy symptoms

For further information: Scurvy Symptoms

Scurvy is a disease characterized by multiple signs and symptoms. These include digestive disorders, multiple bleeding, anemia and skin hyperpigmentation.

Hemorrhages are the consequence of the increased permeability of blood vessels (vitamin C is essential for the formation of connective tissue, which provides the vascular wall with its strength and flexibility), while gastrointestinal disorders are the result of ulcerative lesions of the intestinal mucosa.

Characteristics of scurvy are also hemorrhages of the oral mucosa, with gums that are inflamed, red, swollen and easy to bleed, and wobbly teeth prone to falling out. In the limbs, especially in the lower ones, hemorrhages are observed in the form of petechiae located around the hair follicles. Joint pains (scorbutic arthritis) and neuropsychiatric symptoms including depression, hysteria and hypochondria (excessive and unfounded concern about one's health) are also typical.

Gingival bleeding, loss of appetite, fatigue and weakness, decreased working capacity, decreased intestinal iron absorption and delayed wound healing are the onset symptoms of scurvy, which may mask only marginal vitamin C deficiencies.

Without treatment, scurvy can lead to death from increased susceptibility to infections, severe anemia, and severe internal bleeding.

Treatment

For further information: Drugs for the treatment of scurvy

Vitamin C, in doses of 200-1000 mg / day, is sufficient to induce the regression of scurvy symptoms within 2-4 days. In the preventive field, scurvy prophylaxis is based on a diet that includes the regular consumption of fresh plant foods.