Department of Women, Children, and Adolescents, Service of General Pediatrics, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
Unit of Development and Research in Medical Education, University of Geneva Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland.
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2022 Aug 1;13:968015. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2022.968015. eCollection 2022.
Scurvy results from a deficiency of ascorbic acid. This disease first appeared in children during the 19th century with the emergence of new dietary habits; in particular, heating milk that leads to a loss of ascorbic acid. Even though scurvy has become a rare condition in western countries, many cases are still reported in pediatric patients, especially in those who lack proper nutrition due to neurological or psychiatric illnesses. Symptoms include bleeding and swollen gums, loosening of teeth, bone abnormalities, arthralgia, delayed wound healing, anemia, petechiae, and purpura. Bone lesions are mainly irregularities of long bones metaphyses. We report the case of a five-year-old boy who presented with arthralgia and limb deformation (genu valgum). The patient was investigated for vitamin deficiencies to exclude rickets. The radiologic investigations revealed metaphyseal signs compatible with scurvy. During the hospitalization, the patient was observed to have abnormal eating patterns and the scurvy was attributed to malnutrition. Although the occurrence of scurvy is rare, it remains essential to detect this disease in children at risk of developing vitamin deficiencies. Without targeted treatment, the complications of scurvy can be serious and potentially fatal.
坏血病是由于抗坏血酸缺乏引起的。这种疾病在 19 世纪随着新的饮食习惯的出现首次出现在儿童中；特别是加热牛奶会导致抗坏血酸的损失。尽管坏血病在西方国家已很少见，但仍有许多儿科患者报告病例，特别是在因神经或精神疾病而缺乏适当营养的患者中。症状包括出血和肿胀的牙龈、牙齿松动、骨骼异常、关节痛、伤口愈合延迟、贫血、瘀点和紫癜。骨骼病变主要是长骨干骺端的不规则。我们报告了一例五岁男孩的病例，他出现了关节痛和肢体变形（膝外翻）。为排除佝偻病，对患者进行了维生素缺乏检查。放射学检查显示符合坏血病的干骺端征象。在住院期间，观察到患者有异常的饮食习惯，坏血病归因于营养不良。尽管坏血病的发生率较低，但仍有必要检测有发生维生素缺乏风险的儿童的这种疾病。如果不进行针对性治疗，坏血病的并发症可能很严重，甚至可能致命。
