File photo dated 15/10/21 of shoppers in the fruit and vegetables section of a branch of Sainsbury's in south London. The cost of groceries is now 5.2% higher than it was a year ago, with inflation in the past four weeks hitting its highest level in nearly a decade, according to new data. Issue date: Tuesday March 29, 2022. PA Photo. Grocery price inflation is seeing more shoppers turning to cheaper products and supermarket own-brand labels, while customers are also making fewer trips to stores to save on petrol costs, Kantar said. See PA story CONSUMER Supermarkets. Photo credit should read: Aaron Chown/PA Wire

Cost of living crisis could see the return of a 'Renaissance era disease'

24 Oct 2024, 09:14 by Samuel Webb · Manchester Evening News

The cost of living crisis may spark the rebirth of scurvy after experts treated a man for the Renaissance-era disease in Western Australia.

Scurvy is caused by vitamin C deficiency, and the experts say they diagnosed the middle-aged man - who presented with a painful rash, blood in his urine and anaemia - after he told them his financial troubles meant he'd been eating few fruits or vegetables and often skipping meals entirely.

They say the man had previously had weight loss surgery and was no longer taking his prescribed nutrition supplements due to the cost. The experts say the case could be a sign that cost of living pressures combined with risky lifestyle habits could bring this disease back from the past.

A medical paper, outlined in BMJ Case Reports, described how authors treated a middle-aged man whose legs were covered with tiny painful red-brown pinpoints, resembling a rash. Blood was also present in his urine and he was anaemic.

He tested negative for inflammatory, autoimmune, and blood disorders, and scans revealed no evidence of internal bleeding. Similarly, a skin biopsy returned no diagnostic clues.

His rash continued to spread while he was in hospital and further questioning revealed that he was short of cash and neglected his diet, eating little in the way of fruit and vegetables. He said that he sometimes skipped meals altogether and had also stopped taking the nutritional supplements prescribed for him after previous weight loss surgery, because he said he couldn’t afford them.

Blood tests to assess his general nutritional status indicated no detectable levels of vitamin C and very low levels of other key nutrients. He was diagnosed with scurvy and treated with vitamin supplements, after which his painful rash and other symptoms cleared up.

The authors said the rising cost of living makes it harder for families to afford good quality nutritious foods. Other risk factors for scurvy include alcoholism, smoking, eating disorders, low household income, obesity, kidney dialysis and drugs that interfere with vitamin C absorption, such as steroids and those that curb stomach acid production (proton pump inhibitors), they highlight.

They said: “Scurvy is still seen as a disease of the past, especially in developed countries. Our patient had multiple risk factors, namely, poor dietary habits, obesity, previous bariatric surgery, use of proton pump inhibitors and low-income status. His history of iron, vitamin D and folate deficiencies were also clues to his underlying nutritional deficiency."