Scurvy

Scurvy General Information

Scurvy is a widely known clinical illness that is known to generally be triggered by a lack of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) that is generally found in the patient’s diet. The common symptoms of this medical condition include bleeding gums, presence of rash, muscle aches, muscle weakness, tiredness, and so on. In the past, various sailors and other individuals who were deprived of a diet rich in fresh vegetables and / or fruits suffered from this medical disorder.

The presence of Scurvy is quite rare in regions where fresh vegetables and / or fruits are widely found in the average person’s diet. The consumption of vitamin C added processed aliments can also prevent developing this medical condition. Ascorbic acid is a very important vitamin that presents and antioxidant function. The presence of this vitamin is vital for the patient’s wound healing, immune function, metabolism, connective tissues, and so on.

The average dietary allowance for ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is of 90-95 mg per day for a nursing mother, 70 mg per day for a pregnant female, 40-45 mg per day in the case of children, 35 mg per day for newborns and 55 mg per day for adult individuals. The human organism’s need for ascorbic acid (vitamin C) increases if the patient is following a therapy with certain medical products, if he or she is a smoker or if the patient undergoes a stressful situation.

Scurvy Symptoms

The presence of this well known clinical illness (Scurvy) is generally due to a lack of ascorbic acid in the patient’s daily diet. For this reason, individuals who are on highly restricted diets are more prone to developing this clinical condition. So are patients who are currently under severe physiological stress (this clinical situation may occur after a severe injury, during a dangerous infection, and so on). Chronic alcoholics are known to generally present vitamin C deficiency. For this reason, they are at a high risk of developing this medical condition.
The newborns of females who have undergone therapies with abnormally high doses of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) may develop the infantile form of this clinical illness (Scurvy). This disorder can severely affect children; most infants who are suffering from this clinical condition have complained of swelling of the legs that generally causes severe pain, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, fever, and so on.

The first signs of this medical condition (in the case of adult patients) include muscle aches, excessive tiredness, abnormal weakness, and so on. A distinctive sign of this medical condition (Scurvy) is the presence of several very small blood red blisters. Other patients present purple blotches on the legs. If the patient is suffering from this medical disorder he or she will experience delayed healing of the wounds. Furthermore, some scars that had healed may suddenly re-open. A patient who is suffering from this clinical illness will also present easy bleeding and / or swelling, especially of the gums. This may eventually lead to complete loss of teeth. Other patients have described symptoms such as joint pain, muscle pain, and so on.

Scurvy Treatment

The diagnosis of this medical illness (generally known as Scurvy) is commonly set based on the clinical manifestations that the patient presents. If the individual admits that his or her diet is not rich in fresh vegetables and / or fresh fruit, then their diagnosis is more certain. However, some physicians choose to make the patient undergo a blood exam in order to check his or her vitamin C (ascorbic acid) blood levels.

As this medical condition is triggered by a lack of vitamin C in the human organism, it is easily predictable that the average therapy that is prescribed to patients who are suffering from this medical condition consists in the intake of vitamin C supplements. The average therapy that is prescribed to an adult patient who wants to manage his or her Scurvy consists of the intake of about 300-1000 mg of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) on a regular (daily) basis. In the case of children who are being treated for the same clinical condition, the most common therapy consists in administrating the infants 50 mg of vitamin C several times per day (not more than 4 daily doses).

Early diagnosis of this medical condition offers the patient a great advantage, as the human organism is known to respond in a better way to the intake of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) supplements if the medical disorder (Scurvy) is diagnosed in its early stages. However, without the proper therapy for this medical condition, the patient may experience some of the most severe complications of this clinical illness, some of them life-threatening conditions. The prevention of this medical condition is easily achieved through the daily consumption of foods (aliments) that are rich in ascorbic acid (vitamin C). The daily intake of vitamin supplements can also prevent an individual to experience this clinical disorder (Scurvy). It is very important for infants who are being weaned from their mother’s breast milk to another type of milk (cow milk, for example) to be given ascorbic acid supplements. Children who have been diagnosed to the infantile form of this clinical illness (Scurvy) have responded very well to the intake of natural orange juice. This was the standard therapy against this medical condition before ascorbic acid was discovered. The patient’s appetite should recover in a couple of days, and its symptoms are known to generally disappear in a week.

The most common foods that are known to be very rich in ascorbic acid include: tomatoes, potatoes, spinach, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, cantaloupe, berries, citrus fruits, and so on. Such aliments should be consumed on a regular basis by all individuals in order to avoid experiencing this unpleasant medical condition (Scurvy). Individuals who are suffering from this disorder have to start the intake of vitamin C supplements. The most common medical products (vitamin supplements) of this kind include the following drugs: Dull-C, Ce-Vi-Sol, Cecon, and so on. It is important for all individuals to take great care of their daily diet, as a healthy life style may help the patient avoid some of the most common medical disorders. For further information regarding the most effective remedies against this clinical illness, you should seek for your physician’s approval.