Scurvy is is often considered a historical ailment, conjuring images of sailors on long sea voyages suffering from a lack of fresh fruit and vegetables. Yet doctors in developed countries have recently reported treating cases of scurvy, including Australian doctors who reported their findings today in the journal BMJ Case Reports . What is scurvy? Scurvy is a disease caused by a severe deficiency of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), which is essential for the production of collagen.
This protein helps maintain the health of skin, blood vessels, bones and connective tissue. Without enough vitamin C, the body cannot properly repair tissues, heal wounds, or fight infections. This can lead to a range of symptoms including: fatigue and weakness swollen, bleeding gums or loose teeth joint and muscle pain and tenderness bruising easily dry, rough or discoloured skin (reddish or purple spots due to bleeding under the skin) cuts and sores take longer to heal anaemia (a shortage of red blood cells, leading to further fatigue and weakness) increased susceptibility to infections.
It historically affected sailors Scurvy was common from the 15th to 18th centuries, when naval sailors and other explorers lived on rations or went without fresh food for long periods. You might have heard some of these milestones in the history of the disease: in 1497-1499 , Vasco da Gama’s crew suffered severely from scurvy during their expedition to India, with a large portion of the crew dying from it from the 16.
