3-Year-Old Boy Suffers A Fearsome Nutritional Deficiency Disease From His Refusal To Try New Foods

Ever since ancient times, scurvy, a.k.a. vitamin C deficiency, has been one of the most frightening nutritional deficiency diseases. But, in the current scenario, it has become very rare and is only encountered occasionally among children.

An otherwise healthy 3-year-old white boy suffers scurvy due to consuming a selective restrictive diet because he refused to try out new foods.

The child experienced weakness and found it difficult to walk. He was, then, hospitalized where he developed severe anemia and blood in stools. He was diagnosed with scurvy based on his nutritional history, blood tests, and other reports. His symptoms recovered promptly after taking ascorbic acid supplements.

He had no history of developmental delay, neurological disorders or any other underlying diseases. There wasn’t any recent history of weight loss, fever, trauma, bruising or joint diseases either. He had received the recommended and compulsory vaccinations as per Italian regulations.

However, he had a specific nutritional history. The doctors found out that his diet was strictly selective ever since the time of weaning. He had been consuming a diet that was exclusively based on water, milk, and pasta, with complete avoidance of meat, fruit, vegetables, and fish for the past 2 years.

Caused by the deficiency of vitamin c, scurvy can lead to mucosal bleeding, cutaneous bleeding and anemia. Radiological findings are very helpful in confirming the diagnosis. Treating scurvy involves normalizing serum levels of vitamin C and counteract the symptoms of deprivation.

This case documented that scurvy may sporadically occur in children and individuals without any predisposing medical conditions or risk factors. The authors highlight the importance of recognizing vitamin C deficiency as a cause of severe anemia and blood in the stools even without having and hereditary or constitutional risks.

The unusual aspect of this case is that there weren’t any potential risk factors and demonstrates that scurvy might be occasionally encountered in children or adults who belong to families without unusual eating habits or potential risk factors.

Early signs of scurvy include small spots on the skin, skin discoloration, bruising, bleeding gums, submucosal hemorrhages in the stomach, duodenum and the colon leading to gastrointestinal bleeding. Anemia is a typical hallmark of the condition.

In childhood cases of scurvy, debilitating bone diseases are also encountered frequently. The child was rushed to the hospital mainly because of his symptoms pertaining to musculoskeletal pain and refusal to walk.

“We point out the essential role of pediatricians in the eating habits of preschool children. The adoption of a detailed dietary anamnesis is fundamental to the early recognition of nutritional deficiency diseases and to avoid the performing of invasive procedures and/or their severe complications,” the authors concluded.