Alhalabi Rawan, Nasrallah Basil, Rahman Rizviya, Muad Hussein, Qureshi Assad
Department of Pediatrics, American Hospital Dubai, Dubai, ARE.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, American Hospital Dubai, Dubai, ARE.
Cureus. 2023 May 11;15(5):e38880. doi: 10.7759/cureus.38880. eCollection 2023 May.
Scurvy is a rare clinical syndrome resulting from prolonged vitamin C deficiency and is uncommon in the Gulf area. It can present with non-specific symptoms, making diagnosis and treatment challenging. In pediatric patients, symptoms may include weight loss, lethargy, low-grade fever, anemia of varying degrees, easy bruising or bleeding, joint and muscle pain, and poor wound healing. Despite advances in healthcare in many Gulf countries, nutritional deficiencies can still occur in certain populations. Therefore, it is important for pediatricians, orthopedists, rheumatologists, and radiologists to consider scurvy in the evaluation of children with low-grade, multisystemic involvement. We report a case of a six-year-old boy who presented to the emergency department (ED) multiple times with progressive right (RT) leg pain. The clinical picture and imaging findings suggested chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO). Despite symptom progression, scurvy was ultimately diagnosed and treatment with vitamin C led to rapid resolution of his symptoms. This case highlights the importance of considering scurvy in the differential diagnosis of children with multisystemic involvement, especially in regions where nutritional deficiencies may be more prevalent.
坏血病是一种因长期缺乏维生素C而导致的罕见临床综合征，在海湾地区并不常见。它可能表现为非特异性症状，这使得诊断和治疗具有挑战性。在儿科患者中，症状可能包括体重减轻、嗜睡、低热、不同程度的贫血、容易出现瘀伤或出血、关节和肌肉疼痛以及伤口愈合不良。尽管许多海湾国家的医疗保健取得了进展，但某些人群中仍可能出现营养缺乏症。因此，对于儿科医生、骨科医生、风湿病学家和放射科医生来说，在评估有低度、多系统受累的儿童时考虑坏血病很重要。我们报告一例6岁男孩，他多次因右下肢进行性疼痛就诊于急诊科（ED）。临床表现和影像学检查结果提示慢性复发性多灶性骨髓炎（CRMO）。尽管症状持续进展，但最终诊断为坏血病，补充维生素C治疗后其症状迅速缓解。该病例强调了在多系统受累儿童的鉴别诊断中考虑坏血病的重要性，尤其是在营养缺乏可能更为普遍的地区。
