Brief Report: Scurvy as a Manifestation of Food Selectivity in Children with Autism.

Scurvy was diagnosed in seven children at Boston Children's Hospital. All of the children had a developmental disorder and autism was the most common. They had a long-standing history of food selectivity with diets devoid of fruits and vegetables, and none of the children were supplemented with a multivitamin. They presented with limp, and an elaborate panel of tests and procedures were undertaken before the diagnosis of scurvy was made. Treatment with vitamin C led to rapid recovery of symptoms. This report emphasizes the importance of considering nutritional causes of musculoskeletal symptoms in children with autism and restrictive diets.

Severe scurvy: an underestimated disease.

Scurvy is one of the oldest diseases in human history. Nowadays, although scurvy tends to become a forgotten disease in developed country, rare cases still occur, especially in people undergoing extreme diet, old people or children with poor diet and patients with malabsorption. We describe three cases of scurvy. The first case is a patient diagnosed with Crohn's disease, the second one is in a context of anorexia nervosa and drug addiction, and the third case is in a context of social isolation. Early recognition of scurvy can be difficult because symptoms may appear nonspecific and can mimic more common conditions. In any patient with spontaneous hematoma and purpura, in the context of nutritional disorder, scurvy should be systematically considered. As this disease can lead to severe complications, such as bone pain, heart failure or gastrointestinal symptoms, nothing should delay vitamin C supplementation, which is a simple and rapidly effective treatment.

Scurvy and psychiatric symptoms.

Scurvy is not just a disease of the past, but of the present as well. Yet, the possibility of scurvy is often overlooked in assessing a client's mental health status. Prompt recognition and treatment of scurvy can prevent unnecessary diagnostic testing, as well as a delay in treatment. The author presents a case history of a 55-year-old man with scurvy, delusions, and depression. The client's history, course of illness, treatment, and plan of care are discussed.