Scurvy is caused by prolonged severe dietary deficiency of ascorbic acid, in which the breakdown of intercellular cement substances leads to capillary hemorrhages and defective growth of fibroblasts, osteoblasts and o...Scurvy is caused by prolonged severe dietary deficiency of ascorbic acid, in which the breakdown of intercellular cement substances leads to capillary hemorrhages and defective growth of fibroblasts, osteoblasts and odontoblasts, resulting in impaired synthesis of collagen, osteoid and dentine. It is characterized by hemorrhagic gingivitis, subperiosteal hemorrhages,perifollicular hemorrhages, and frequently petechia hemorrhages(especially on the feet). People with abnormal dietary habits, mental illness or physical disability are prone to develop this disease. Epiphysea separation is known to occur in scurvy but is rarely seen now. Epiphyseal separation from the metaphysis is always through the zone of calcified cartilage,known as "scorbutic lattice", which in the radiographs is represented as "the white line of Frenkel". We report a case of multiple epiphyseal separations in a cerebra palsy child because of vitamin C deficiency. The child was treated with splintage of extremity and nutritiona supplementation. All physeal separation healed completely without any deformity.展开更多
Scurvy is now an almost forgotten disease, but it hasn’t yet disappeared entirely. Here, we report the case of a patient with scurvy who presented with multiple hemorrhages about 5 years after undergoing pharyngeal s...Scurvy is now an almost forgotten disease, but it hasn’t yet disappeared entirely. Here, we report the case of a patient with scurvy who presented with multiple hemorrhages about 5 years after undergoing pharyngeal surgery and radiochemotherapy for oropharyngeal cancer. This 60-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of sudden onset of dyspnea and purpura. A physical examination and computed tomography revealed multifocal hemorrhages, namely, purpuras and petechiae on the legs and intramuscular and alveolar hemorrhages. Coagulation tests indicated a normal bleeding time and mild extension of the activated partial thromboplastin time. The coagulation factor activities were not low enough to account for such severe hemorrhages. No new hemorrhages were observed after admission. On questioning about his past eating habits, the patient reported having long had an extremely unbalanced diet, namely, a diet that was composed largely of carbohydrates with few fresh fruits and vegetables. This was due to the development of mechanical dysphagia after the operation. Since his vitamin C level was 0.5 μg/mL (normal range: 5.5 - 16.8 μg/mL), a diagnosis of scurvy was established. Thus, scurvy can still occur in modern times due to poor eating habits that arise from unusual settings. We must keep in mind that scurvy may be the cause when a patient presents with an apparently inexplicable tendency to hemorrhage.展开更多
BACKGROUND Patients with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) are prone to several nutritional deficiencies. However, data are lacking on vitamin C deficiency in Crohn’s disease(CD) and ulcerative colitis(UC) patients, as...BACKGROUND Patients with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) are prone to several nutritional deficiencies. However, data are lacking on vitamin C deficiency in Crohn’s disease(CD) and ulcerative colitis(UC) patients, as well as the impact of clinical, biomarker and endoscopic disease severity on the development of vitamin C deficiency.AIM To determine proportions and factors associated with vitamin C deficiency in CD and UC patients.METHODS In this retrospective study, we obtained clinical, laboratory and endoscopic data from CD and UC patients presenting to the IBD clinic at a single tertiary care center from 2014 to 2019. All patients had an available plasma vitamin C level. Of 353 subjects who met initial search criteria using a cohort discovery tool, 301ultimately met criteria for inclusion in the study. The primary aim described vitamin C deficiency(≤ 11.4 μmol/L) rates in IBD. Secondary analyses compared proportions with deficiency between active and inactive IBD. Multivariate logistic regression analysis evaluated factors associated with deficiency.RESULTS Of 301 IBD patients, 21.6% had deficiency, including 24.4% of CD patients and 16.0% of UC patients. Patients with elevated C-reactive protein(CRP)(39.1% vs 16.9%, P < 0.001) and fecal calprotectin(50.0% vs 20.0%, P = 0.009) had significantly higher proportions of deficiency compared to those without. Penetrating disease(P = 0.03),obesity(P = 0.02) and current biologic use(P = 0.006) were also associated with deficiency on univariate analysis. On multivariate analysis, the objective inflammatory marker utilized for analysis(elevated CRP) was the only factor associated with deficiency(odds ratio = 3.1, 95%confidence interval: 1.5-6.6, P = 0.003). There was no difference in the presence of clinical symptoms of scurvy in those with vitamin C deficiency and those without.CONCLUSION Vitamin C deficiency was common in IBD. Patients with elevated inflammatory markers and penetrating disease had higher rates of vitamin C deficiency.展开更多
文摘Scurvy is caused by prolonged severe dietary deficiency of ascorbic acid, in which the breakdown of intercellular cement substances leads to capillary hemorrhages and defective growth of fibroblasts, osteoblasts and odontoblasts, resulting in impaired synthesis of collagen, osteoid and dentine. It is characterized by hemorrhagic gingivitis, subperiosteal hemorrhages,perifollicular hemorrhages, and frequently petechia hemorrhages(especially on the feet). People with abnormal dietary habits, mental illness or physical disability are prone to develop this disease. Epiphysea separation is known to occur in scurvy but is rarely seen now. Epiphyseal separation from the metaphysis is always through the zone of calcified cartilage,known as "scorbutic lattice", which in the radiographs is represented as "the white line of Frenkel". We report a case of multiple epiphyseal separations in a cerebra palsy child because of vitamin C deficiency. The child was treated with splintage of extremity and nutritiona supplementation. All physeal separation healed completely without any deformity.
文摘Scurvy is now an almost forgotten disease, but it hasn’t yet disappeared entirely. Here, we report the case of a patient with scurvy who presented with multiple hemorrhages about 5 years after undergoing pharyngeal surgery and radiochemotherapy for oropharyngeal cancer. This 60-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of sudden onset of dyspnea and purpura. A physical examination and computed tomography revealed multifocal hemorrhages, namely, purpuras and petechiae on the legs and intramuscular and alveolar hemorrhages. Coagulation tests indicated a normal bleeding time and mild extension of the activated partial thromboplastin time. The coagulation factor activities were not low enough to account for such severe hemorrhages. No new hemorrhages were observed after admission. On questioning about his past eating habits, the patient reported having long had an extremely unbalanced diet, namely, a diet that was composed largely of carbohydrates with few fresh fruits and vegetables. This was due to the development of mechanical dysphagia after the operation. Since his vitamin C level was 0.5 μg/mL (normal range: 5.5 - 16.8 μg/mL), a diagnosis of scurvy was established. Thus, scurvy can still occur in modern times due to poor eating habits that arise from unusual settings. We must keep in mind that scurvy may be the cause when a patient presents with an apparently inexplicable tendency to hemorrhage.
文摘BACKGROUND Patients with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) are prone to several nutritional deficiencies. However, data are lacking on vitamin C deficiency in Crohn’s disease(CD) and ulcerative colitis(UC) patients, as well as the impact of clinical, biomarker and endoscopic disease severity on the development of vitamin C deficiency.AIM To determine proportions and factors associated with vitamin C deficiency in CD and UC patients.METHODS In this retrospective study, we obtained clinical, laboratory and endoscopic data from CD and UC patients presenting to the IBD clinic at a single tertiary care center from 2014 to 2019. All patients had an available plasma vitamin C level. Of 353 subjects who met initial search criteria using a cohort discovery tool, 301ultimately met criteria for inclusion in the study. The primary aim described vitamin C deficiency(≤ 11.4 μmol/L) rates in IBD. Secondary analyses compared proportions with deficiency between active and inactive IBD. Multivariate logistic regression analysis evaluated factors associated with deficiency.RESULTS Of 301 IBD patients, 21.6% had deficiency, including 24.4% of CD patients and 16.0% of UC patients. Patients with elevated C-reactive protein(CRP)(39.1% vs 16.9%, P < 0.001) and fecal calprotectin(50.0% vs 20.0%, P = 0.009) had significantly higher proportions of deficiency compared to those without. Penetrating disease(P = 0.03),obesity(P = 0.02) and current biologic use(P = 0.006) were also associated with deficiency on univariate analysis. On multivariate analysis, the objective inflammatory marker utilized for analysis(elevated CRP) was the only factor associated with deficiency(odds ratio = 3.1, 95%confidence interval: 1.5-6.6, P = 0.003). There was no difference in the presence of clinical symptoms of scurvy in those with vitamin C deficiency and those without.CONCLUSION Vitamin C deficiency was common in IBD. Patients with elevated inflammatory markers and penetrating disease had higher rates of vitamin C deficiency.
