Basic Facts about Micronutrients
Kedar N. Prasad in Micronutrients in Health and Disease, 2019
Vitamin C: Scurvy is caused by vitamin C deficiency. The symptoms of this disease were known to Egyptians as early as 1,500 BC. In the fifth century BC, Hippocrates described the symptoms of scurvy, which included bleeding gums, hemorrhaging, and death. Native North Americans knew the cure of this disease, but knowledge of the treatment remained limited to this population. During the sea voyages of European explorers between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries, the epidemic of scurvy among sailors forced some to land in Canada where the Native people gave them extract of pine bark and needles (prepared like tea). This treatment completely cured scurvy in these sailors. In 1536 Jacques Cartier, a French explorer, brought this formulation for curing scurvy to France, but the medical establishment rejected it as fraud because it came from Native Americans, who were seen as savages. In 1593, Sir Richard Hawkins recommended that his sailors consume sour oranges and lemons. In 1770, the British Navy began recommending that ships carry sufficient lime juice for all personnel aboard. In 1928, Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, a Hungarian scientist, isolated a substance from the adrenal gland that was called hexuronic acid. This substance was vitamin C, and in 1932, it was the first vitamin to be synthesized in a laboratory.
Nutrition for health and sports performance
Nick Draper, Helen Marshall in Exercise Physiology, 2014
An interesting example regarding the discovery of the disease-preventative effects of vitamins can be seen from the work of James Lind. In 1747 Lind conducted an excellent experiment on HMS Salisbury to test the use of citrus fruit as a protection against the effects of scurvy. Before Lind’s experiment, and indeed for some time afterwards (until his results were accepted), scurvy was rife in the British Navy. As we now know, scurvy was caused in sailors by a lack of Vitamin C in the diet during the long sea voyages. The symptoms of scurvy were bleeding and spongy gums, bleeding from almost every mucous membrane, depression, and then physical incapacitation. In his experiment, which included a control group who did not receive the treatment, sailors were given daily rations of citrus fruits to test if they would ward off the effects of scurvy. The study proved successful and, after the results were accepted, the British Navy were supplied with rations of citrus fruits, particularly limes, to protect against the disease. It was for this reason that the British gained the name ‘Limeys’. The actual discovery of the chemical structure of vitamin C was not made until 1928.
Role of Vitamin C in Chronic Wound Healing
Qi Chen, Margreet C.M. Vissers in Vitamin C, 2020
In the absence of vitamin C, the deficiency disease scurvy may develop. It is not known precisely at what plasma ascorbate concentration individuals actually develop scurvy [58]; however, those with plasma levels of less than 11 μmol/L are considered at severe risk of developing the disease. At these concentrations, it seems likely that many cells and tissues within the body will become depleted of the vitamin. Scurvy is associated with a range of clinical features including fatigue, bleeding, anemia, gum abnormalities, and skin and musculoskeletal manifestations [59,60] and can ultimately prove fatal if left untreated. Many of the symptoms of scurvy are thought to arise from a defect in the synthesis and maturation of collagen in connective tissue, although other cofactor activities also likely contribute.
Just Right Challenge Feeding Protocol: Case-Report for Guiding Clinical Reasoning and Future Research in Food Selectivity Treatment
Published in Occupational Therapy In Health Care, 2022
Michelle Suarez
The nutritional consequences of food selectivity can be severe. Children with food selectivity often restrict their diets to consumption of high fat, high sugar, and processed foods and refuse to eat whole foods including vegetables and fruits (Sharp et al., 2018). Malnutrition with deficits in vitamin D, fiber, vitamin E, calcium and others have been documented (Sharp et al., 2018; Hyman et al., 2012). Additionally, several studies have identified scurvy as a result of long standing refusal of fruits and vegetables without supplemental sources of Vitamin C (Ma et al., 2016; Swed-Tobia et al., 2019). These nutritional deficits point to clear and concerning health implications of food selectivity and a call for intervention to address dietary expansion for adequate diversity that includes vegetables and fruits (Chawner et al., 2019).
Scurvy in a patient with a restrictive diet
Published in Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, 2021
Patrick W. Shin, Adrienne M. Gonzales, Christie M. Pham, Tapas Gajjar
Ascorbic acid is an essential nutrient required for collagen synthesis and repair. Though adequate levels of vitamin C can be obtained through consuming minimal fruits and vegetables, extremely restricted diets can lead to symptomatic scurvy within 2 months.3 Diagnosis is largely clinical, with recognition of corkscrew hairs, perifollicular hemorrhages, impaired wound healing, and bleeding diathesis. Diagnosis may be aided with serum vitamin C levels, vitamin C tolerance tests, and follicular biopsy.3 Once scurvy has been identified, treatment consists of 300 to 500 mg of vitamin C daily, and symptoms usually improve within 2 weeks.4 Supplementation should be continued if the diet remains restricted. If left untreated, scurvy can lead to hemarthrosis, spontaneous bleeding, hemorrhagic pericarditis, arrhythmias, and potentially death.3
Scurvy in 2017 in the USA
Published in Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, 2018
Krishna M. Baradhi, Shobana Vallabhaneni, Supriya Koya
Scurvy, a disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin C, is uncommon in the modern era and is often underdiagnosed. Vitamin C serves as a cofactor in collagen synthesis, and its deficiency is characterized by hemorrhagic diathesis. We describe a case of scurvy presenting with anemia, perifollicular hemorrhages, and extensive ecchymoses and highlight the importance of recognizing vitamin C deficiency as a cause of bleeding diathesis.
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