Scurvy Signs, Diagnosis and Treatment

Vitamin C deficiency leads to Scurvy. Vitamin C (chemically known as ascorbic acid) is essential vital for the production of collagen. This leads to the formation of spongy gums, pale skin with spots on the skin, and internal bleeding of mucous membranes.
 

The spots are more persistent on the legs. The patient is usually dull, appears pale with sunken eyes and is immobilized partially.
 

Scurvy causes:

Insufficiency in the consumption of vitamin C leads to scurvy primarily.  Historically, scurvy generally occured during long sea voyages where sailors won't be able to eat nutritious diet that is rich in vitamin C.
 

Signs and symptoms of scurvy:

Scurvy signs include:

A feel of extreme fatigue and tiredness.

A number of ailments within the body.

A feeling of discomfort and pain present in the muscles and     joints of the body.

The healing time for cuts is more.   

Loss of teeth, bleeding of gums.

In severe cases, the scurvy signs are more painful and aggressive that bleeding occurs in the body's muscles and joints.

Affects natural growth in children.
 
 
 

Diagnosis of Scurvy:
 
A physical exam is conducted to find the symptoms. Vitamin C levels are obtained by using lab tests that analyzes the level of serum ascorbic acid.
 

The wrong-diagnosis of scurvy leads to vitamin B12 deficiency, so radiological processes are followed for diagnosing scurvy. This helps in observing the damage that has already been caused by scurvy. As scurvy gets aggravated, a part of rarefaction occurs at the metaphysis just below the white line.
 

The part of rarefaction generally involves those areas of white line that results in a defect in a triangle shape. This area having multiple microscopic fractures within may collapse along with the impact of the calcified cartilage over the mataphysis shaft. Visualization of the subperiosteal hemorrhages are not possible during the active phase. While healing, hemorrhages get calcified and are set to be found readily.
 

Scurvy treatment:

Orange juice, the standard treatment before the discovery of vitamin C is an effective dietary remedy for curing infantile scurvy.
 

Vitamin C when administered by oral or the parenteral method is effective in treating infantile     scurvy.
 
 The medicinal recovery is impressive while implementing pharmacologic treatment. The appetite of the infant is     recovered in a day or two’s time. The signs of fever, irritability, tenderness upon palpation, and hemorrhage     generally takes seven days or less to resolve.
 
Diet:
 
Adequate vitamin C intake can prevent the development of scurvy. The diet requiring vitamin C varies with the age of the person.

Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences and National Research Council recommends the following diet rich in vitamin C:

• Babies  are to be provided with thirty to forty mg
• Children and adults require forty five to sixty five mg
• Pregnant women essentially need seventy mg
• Lactating mothers might require at least ninety to ninety five milligram
  

Fruits and vegetables that are rich in vitamin C include the following:

Berries, Cantaloupe, Citrus sources such as lime and orange,  Broccoli, Tomatoes, Spinach, Cabbage.