Vitamin C Deficiency

Hospitalizations for scurvy are on the rise among children in the United States, with a significant increase after 2017, according to data published in Pediatrics.

Anemia is the condition of having a lower-than-normal red blood cell count or not enough hemoglobin. Anemia is extremely common and affects nearly 25% of the world’s population. It is considered relatively harmless but can be a serious condition with dire implications.

March is National Nutrition Month, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The commemoration began as a week-long event in 1973, but as public interest in nutrition grew, it eventually extended to a month-long event in 1980.

Gingival bleeding may indicate low vitamin C — or ascorbic acid — intake, according to research published in Nutritional Reviews.

A 3-year-old male living in Puerto Rico presented with progressive bilateral foot and lower extremity pain. He had been healthy until 4 months earlier, when he was diagnosed with influenza B. In addition to the common symptoms of influenza at that time, he also had the onset of pain in both feet. This pain continued, with a pattern of getting worse in the mornings, and reached a point where the patient refused to wear shoes. An orthopedic consultant failed to find a problem, and the patient was treated with pain medication, which had minimal effect. As his pain continued, he began having painful gingival swelling and erythema. His dentist referred him to a local hospital, where he was diagnosed with gingivitis and myositis, supported by an elevated CPK of 1760 and an ESR of 40, with a negative bone scan. The patient’s gingival edema worsened, with friable bleeding gums and ongoing leg pains, and he was taken to the regional medical center. Additional history revealed that he never had fever, night sweats or joint inflammation or swelling, but he did have a mild, transient rash, now resolved.