BREAKING NEWS LIVE Doctors warn that common reflux drug could trigger SCURVY - after Victorian disease strikes 50 year-old man READ MORE: Poor diets mean scurvy is making a 21st-century comeback By REBECCA WHITTAKER FOR MAILONLINE Published: 01:59, 12 November 2024 | Updated: 02:23, 12 November 2024 e-mail View comments You may assume scurvy is a disease that died out in Victorian times. But according to recent reports, the condition is making a comeback, with cases rising by 25 per cent since 2007, said to be due to the increased reliance on junk food amid the cost of living crisis. Now, experts have warned that it's not just malnutrition that is behind the rise in the illness — which causes red patches on the skin and can be fatal if untreated.
According to a recent report, a common reflux drug taken by millions of Brits can also trigger scurvy. Writing in the journal British Medical Journal Case Reports, doctors at the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Western Australia warned that proton pump inhibitors, (PPIs), such as omeprazole, could be a culprit. This is because these drugs reduce the production of acid in the stomach, which makes it harder for your body to absorb vitamin C.
In July, doctors reported the case of one man in his 50s who developed the condition after taking PPIs as well as eating a diet lacking in vitamin C — which is vital to prevent the disease. The first sign of the illness was a red-brown pinpoint rash that covered the man's legs and spread to hi.
