Australian man diagnosed with scurvy due to poor diet and rising cost of living

An Australian man has been diagnosed with scurvy – an 18th-century disease associated with sailors – and doctors warned that the “disease of the past” is re-emerging due to poor diet and rising cost of living.

The disease, caused by a vitamin C deficiency, was prevalent among seafarers in the 18th century as they had no access to fresh fruits and vegetables during long voyages.

Doctors, however, were surprised to see the condition in the middle-aged man from Perth, Western Australia.

According to a report from medical journal BMJ Case Reports published on Sept 22, doctors found tiny painful red-brown pinpoints, resembling a rash, on the man’s legs.

He was put through a battery of tests including blood tests, a CT scan and skin biopsies, which did not shed any light on the underlying causes of his condition.

Instead, his rash spread to his hands.

This prompted doctors at Sir Charles Gairdner hospital – where the man was hospitalised – to look into his personal history, and they found that his living circumstances “were poor”.

“He had financial constraints and therefore neglected his diet,” the BMJ report said.

“His meals mostly comprised processed food, lacking in vegetables or fruit. Sometimes he would skip meals, which occurred more frequently in recent weeks.”

The man, in his early 50s, had undergone bariatric surgery eight years ago, which is one of the risk factors for scurvy.

“He had also stopped taking the vitamin and mineral supplements prescribed following gastric bypass surgery as he was unable to afford them,” the BMJ report said.

The report added that an underlying nutritional deficiency was therefore suspected.

Further tests revealed the man has “undetectable vitamin C levels”, and he was diagnosed with scurvy.

His condition improved after doctors prescribed the man a daily intake of 1,000mg of vitamin C, 5mg of folic acid and multivitamins.

In addition, a meal plan was created for him, and he also started to eat a lemon daily, the report said.

Dr Andrew Dermawan, one of the doctors at the hospital and lead author of the BMJ report, told Guardian Australia that the diagnosis of scurvy came as a surprise.

“It’s not something that I expected to come up in today’s time.”

Symptoms of scurvy usually include red or blue spots on skin, especially on legs and feet, tiredness, joint and muscle pain, swollen or bleeding gums and skin that bruises easily.

The BMJ report noted scurvy is still seen as a disease of the past, especially in developed countries.

However, it noted that scurvy is a re-emerging diagnosis in the current era of rising costs of living and with the increasing number of bariatric operations.

Although scurvy is easily reversible by taking vitamin C supplements, the report said the rising cost of food in Australia is making it harder for families to afford meals.

The growing cost of living means that people are more reliant on lower-cost foods, which tend to be low in nutritional value, it added.