Vitamin C Deficiency in Elderly Linked to Fatigue: Study
Ottawa, 7 Oct (OCT) --- A new study recommends that older adults experiencing unusual bleeding, fatigue, and weakness be evaluated for scurvy, a disease resulting from vitamin C deficiency.
Detailing a case study of a 65-year-old woman with mobility issues and social isolation, the study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) showed that scurvy, or vitamin C deficiency, is not just an 18th-century seafarers’ disease.
Researchers from the University of Toronto in Canada implored clinicians to consider scurvy in patients with abnormal bleeding and nonspecific symptoms.
“This case presents a complex example of food insecurity manifesting as an uncommon diagnosis,” said Dr. Sarah Engelhart, a general internist at Mount Sinai Hospital and the University of Toronto.
The researchers noted that vitamin C deficiency is more common than expected in the 21st century. However, its diagnosis is often challenging as symptoms are often nonspecific, such as fatigue, weakness, and shortness of breath.
The team noted that people who follow restrictive eating patterns (for example, those with autism spectrum disorder or those on a tea and toast diet), who smoke cigarettes, who have a substance use disorder, or who have malabsorption syndrome, can also be at risk of scurvy.
---Ends/Thuraiya/AG