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Scurvy. A forgotten pseudovasculitis.

Noelia Cabaleiro-RañaDiego Santos-ÁlvarezLucía Romar de Las HerasCarmen Álvarez-RegueraEvelin Cecilia Cervantes PérezRosa María Hernández CancelaSusana Romero-Yuste
Published in: Reumatologia clinica (2024)
Scurvy is a nutritional disease caused by ascorbic acid (vitamin C) deficiency. Althought currently it is a rare disease, we should considerer it in the differential diagnosis of purpura and arthritis in patients with restrictive diets. We present the case of a 49-year-old man with a history of a nutritional disorder presented to our hospital with generalized purpura and hemarthros. Following the anamnesis and laboratory findings, rheumatological, infectious and hematological etiologies were excluded. Finally, the diagnosis of scurvy was made upon demostration poor levels of vitamin C and a spectacular response to nutritional supplements. We compare this case with 19 similar cases reported in the medical literature.
Keyphrases
  • healthcare
  • systematic review
  • rheumatoid arthritis
  • emergency department
  • replacement therapy