Brits were today warned poor diet could be to blame for an ancient disease making a 21st-century comeback.
For scurvy, a condition historically associated with being out at sea for months, is ‘re-emerging’, doctors have said.
Medics believe the rise in cases is a result of the grim toll food poverty is taking on people’s health.
But they warned that the situation could get worse, as people are forced to make further cuts amid the cost of living crisis.
Scurvy is caused by a lack of Vitamin C, which is found in fruit and vegetables, and is essential to keep the skin, blood vessels and ligaments healthy.
Scurvy is caused by a lack of Vitamin C , which is found in fruit and vegetables, and is essential to keep the skin, blood vessels and ligaments healthy
But while diet has is a major contributor to scurvy, there are other factors in play including smoking and conditions such as type 1 diabetes.
Sharing one case of a man who suffered the condition as a warning in an academic journal, doctors said ‘prompt’ diagnosis and treatment was ‘vital’.
The unidentified man in his early 50s, from Australia, arrived at hospital with an unexplained painful rash and bruising on his legs.
While blood tests showed he had an unusually low number of white blood cells, scans failed to pinpoint the cause of his condition.
It was only after his rash worsened that it emerged he ate very little fruit or vegetables and lived mainly off processed foods ‘due to financial constraints’.
He had also stopped taking the vitamin and mineral supplements prescribed following gastric bypass surgery ‘as he was unable to 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 1,000mg of vitamin C tablets daily and his rash disappeared.
Writing in the journal BMJ Case Reports, medics warned doctors in the UK and other Western nations to be on high alert for similar symptoms.
‘Failure to treat may lead to catastrophic haemorrhage, hence, early recognition and prompt treatment are vital,’ they said.
Dr Andrew Dermawan, from Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, Western Australia, and report author added: ‘Scurvy is a re-emerging disease with the rising cost of living. It can present as early as a month after a vitamin C-deficient diet.’
The first records of scurvy can be traced to as far back as 3,800 BC Egypt.
Became far more documented in the 1500s onwards and more than 2million sailors are estimated to have died from the condition between the 16th and 18th centuries.
Sailors were particularly vulnerable because of a lack of access to fresh fruit and vegetables on long voyages.
But, medics have warned the cost of living crisis was driving a new surge in the condition which had previously been consigned to history.
It was thought to have disappeared in the UK in the 1900s once it was discovered that eating a more well-balanced seemed to prevent it.
Vitamin C, a vital nutrient for tissue growth and wound healing, is found in citrus fruits, potatoes, red and chili peppers, strawberries and tomatoes.
Official figures show there were more than 800,000 admissions in England and Wales last year with conditions linked to poor nutrition including the ‘Victorian’ illnesses scurvy and rickets. Iron deficiency was the biggest problem, NHS data revealed, with admissions for the bone-weakening condition shooting up by 149 per cent since 2013
It is also needed to make collagen, a major building block for the skin, bones, ligaments, blood, muscles and cartilage.
Without vitamin C, the body cannot make enough collagen or heal as quickly, which leads to issues like bleeding gums and loosened teeth, scaly skin, brittle hair, bleeding underneath the skin, muscle fatigue, anemia and bruising.
Scurvy can also cause swollen legs and pain so severe children may refuse to walk.
It comes as the latest official figures show the number of Brits being hospitalised for 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 linked to poor nutrition, including ‘Victorian’ illnesses scurvy and rickets.
Iron deficiency was the biggest problem, NHS data revealed, with admissions for the bone-weakening condition shooting up by 149 per cent since 2013.
The NHS warns that malnutrition is a ‘common problem’ affecting millions in the UK, with under-fives, over-65s and those with long-term health conditions most at risk.
One in 10 elderly people are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, it said.
