Poor diets are causing scurvy to make a comeback in the 21st century

Britons were warned today that poor diet could be the cause of an age-old disease returning in the 21st century.

Scurvy, a condition historically associated with being at sea for months on end, is “reemerging,” doctors say.

Doctors believe the rise in cases is due to the grim toll food poverty is taking on people’s health.

But they warned the situation could get worse as people are forced to make further cuts due to the cost of living crisis.

Scurvy is caused by a deficiency of vitamin C, which is found in fruits and vegetables and is essential for keeping the skin, blood vessels and ligaments healthy.

But while diet is a major contributor to scurvy, other factors also play a role, including smoking and conditions such as type 1 diabetes.

Doctors shared a case of a man suffering from the condition as a warning in an academic journal, saying ‘rapid’ diagnosis and treatment were ‘vital’.

The unidentified man in his early 50s, from Australia, arrived at the hospital with an unexplained painful rash and bruising on his legs.

Although blood tests showed he had an unusually low white blood cell count, scans could not determine the cause of his condition.

Only after his rash worsened did it become apparent that he was eating very little fruit and vegetables and living mainly on processed foods ‘due to financial constraints’.

He had also stopped taking the vitamin and mineral supplements he had been prescribed after gastric bypass surgery “because he could not afford them,” the report said.

Further tests showed his vitamin C levels were so low they were ‘undetectable’ and he was diagnosed with scurvy.

The patient was treated with 1,000 mg vitamin C tablets daily and his rash disappeared.

Writing in the diary BMJ Case ReportsMedics warned doctors in Britain and other Western countries to be on high alert for similar symptoms.

“Failure to treat can lead to catastrophic bleeding, so early recognition and prompt treatment are critical,” they said.

Dr. Andrew Dermawan, from Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, Western Australia, and author of the report, added: ‘Scurvy is a re-emerging disease that is driving up the cost of living. It can manifest as early as a month after a vitamin C deficiency diet.”

The first mentions of scurvy date back to 3800 BC. in Egypt.

It became much more documented from the 16th century onwards and it is estimated that more than 2 million sailors died from the condition between the 16th and 18th centuries.

Sailors were particularly vulnerable due to the lack of access to fresh fruit and vegetables on long voyages.

But medics have warned that the cost of living crisis was causing a new wave of the condition, which was previously consigned to history.

It was thought to have disappeared in Britain in the twentieth century when it was discovered that a more balanced diet seemed to prevent this.

Vitamin C, an essential nutrient for tissue growth and wound healing, is found in citrus fruits, potatoes, red and chili peppers, strawberries and tomatoes.

Official figures show that there were more than 800,000 admissions in England and Wales last year with conditions related to poor nutrition, including the ‘Victorian’ diseases scurvy and rickets. Iron deficiency was the biggest problem, NHS data showed, with admissions for the bone-weakening condition increasing by 149 percent since 2013.

It is also needed to make collagen, an important building block for skin, bones, ligaments, blood, muscles and cartilage.

Without vitamin C, the body cannot produce enough collagen or heal as quickly, leading to problems such as bleeding gums and loose teeth, flaky skin, brittle hair, bleeding under the skin, muscle fatigue, anemia and bruising.

Scurvy can also cause swollen legs and pain, which can cause severe children to refuse to walk.

It comes as the latest official figures show the number of Britons in hospital due to malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies has almost tripled in a decade.

In 2022, there were more than 800,000 admissions in England and Wales with conditions related to poor nutrition, including ‘Victorian’ diseases, scurvy and rickets.

Iron deficiency was the biggest problem, NHS data revealed, with admissions for the bone-weakening condition increasing by 149 percent since 2013.

The NHS warns that malnutrition is a ‘common problem’ affecting millions of people in Britain, with children under five, over 65 and those with long-term health problems most at risk.

One in ten elderly people is malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, the report said.