Scurvy Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention
Definition
Scurvy or scurvy is a deficiency or severe deficiency of vitamin C. In fact, vitamin C is needed by the body, among other things, to form collagen, which is the material for making connective tissue. Connective tissue in the body is very important to support the structure and support for the body’s work, such as blood vessels.
This condition is rare because usually a person will get vitamin C from daily food, especially fruits, and vegetables. Scurvy occurs when a person is deficient in vitamin C for at least three months.
Scurvy Symptoms
Early symptoms (8–12 weeks) of scurvy include loss of appetite, weight loss, weakness, irritability and fatigue.
Symptoms over a period of one to three months include:
- always feeling tired and weak
- easily angry and often feel sad
- severe joint pain or leg pain
- swollen and bleeding gums and sometimes even loose teeth
- there are red or blue spots on the skin that are usually on the shins
- easily bruised
- twisted hair
- hard to heal wounds
- hard to breathe
- mood swings and depression
Late symptoms that appear include edema or swelling throughout the body, jaundice or yellowish body, destruction of red blood cells or hemolysis, spontaneous bleeding, neuropathy, fever and seizures. This kind of condition can certainly be fatal.
Scurvy Reason
The cause of scurvy is a lack of consuming foods rich in vitamin C. However, there are also various risk factors that will make a person experience scurvy.
Some of these risk factors include:
- following a certain diet program, with little or no source of vitamin C at all.
- Eating only small amounts of food, which may be due to an eating disorder. This is often related to several conditions, such as anorexia, being seriously ill, or undergoing severe therapy such as chemotherapy.
- Poor diet and smoking habits can reduce the absorption of vitamin C.
- Having a poor diet and being pregnant or breastfeeding, in which condition the body actually needs more vitamin C intake.
- Have a severe digestive system disorder such as Crohn’s disease.
- Infants, malnourished children and the elderly.
- Those who have an addiction to alcohol or illegal drugs.
Scurvy can cause anemia, fatigue, spontaneous bleeding, pain in the limbs, especially the feet, and swelling in several parts of the body. In addition, this condition sometimes causes sores or ulcers on the gums and loss of teeth.
Diagnosis
The doctor will determine the diagnosis of scurvy based on a series of detailed medical interviews to find out the symptoms experienced by the patient and a direct physical examination. Blood tests will be done to check the body’s vitamin C levels to help establish a diagnosis.
Scurvy Treatment
Treatment of scurvy is actually quite easy, that is, you just need to take vitamin C supplements or add vitamin C to your daily diet. Including foods rich in vitamin C, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, will meet the body’s need for this vitamin.
Usually, improvement can be felt within 48 hours and will recover completely within two weeks. For cases that are severe enough, sufferers may need additional supplements for up to three months.
Prevention
The prevention of scurvy is to ensure that the body’s daily requirement of vitamin C is adequately met. Vitamin C can be obtained from various types of natural foods, such as vegetables and fruits.