Scurvy is a clinical syndrome that is caused by a deficiency of the water soluble
vitamin C. First described in 1550 BCE it has been romanticized in stories of pirates
who suffered skin and skeletal complications due to a lack of access to fruits and
vegetables. Vitamin C deficiency was a major cause of death during the great potato
famine in Europe and the United States Civil War. Risk factors include alcohol intake,
tobacco use, low income, male gender, and patients on hemodialysis. The body may become
deficient in vitamin C in a short time of 4 to 12 weeks. Scurvy is characterized by
bruising, perifollicular hemorrhage, petechiae, gingivitis, arthralgias, impaired
wound healing, anemia, and bone pain. As the consequences of missing the diagnosis
can be severe and the treatment is simple replacement with dietary supplements, diagnosis
should not be missed.
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© 2021 Published by Elsevier Inc.
