Scurvy: Still Relevant or not? A Case of Scurvy in Siblings with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder

Abstract

Scurvy is a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency, although it is rare in the modern world, it can occur in vulnerable populations: children and adults with eating disorders, residents of the Arctic who do not have their own fruits and vegetables, and people with low social status.

The goal is to use the example of this clinical case to acquaint doctors with the variable clinical manifestations of vitamin C deficiency in children, in order to increase vigilance and timely prescription of cheap and affordable drugs.

A clinical case of scurvy is described in a 4-year-old child with an autism spectrum disorder who is selective in food, with laboratory-confirmed vitamin C deficiency. The girl was hospitalized in the pediatric department of the Volyn Regional Territorial Medical Association for the Protection of Motherhood and Childhood with complaints of acute lameness and a hemorrhagic rash on the skin, which had been bothering her for the past 6 months. During the past six months, she was treated on an outpatient basis - however, her condition persisted without improvement. Due to the rarity of the disease, the “diagnostic odyssey” was long. After numerous laboratory and instrumental examinations, the child was diagnosed with scurvy, and the appointment of therapeutic doses of vitamin C led to a complete recovery.

Conclusion: Although scurvy is rare in the modern world, it can develop in vulnerable populations. In children with acute lameness, it is important to collect a nutritional history. If the diet consists mainly of products poor in vitamin C, and the symptoms are typical for scurvy, it is worth examining the patient for the level of ascorbic acid in the blood.