A Case of Scurvy Mimics Cutaneous Vasculitis / 대한내과학회지

ABSTRACT

The human body is unable to synthesize vitamin C and a diet deficient in vitamin C leads to scurvy. Scurvy has become a rare clinical entity in most developed country. However it may still be encountered in selected situation, such as old people live along, young children, food faddists, and alcoholics. Scurvy may mimic other medical conditions such as vasculitis, systemic bleeding disorders, and deep vein thrombosis. For this reason, scorbutic patient are often misdiagnosed or evaluated for other disorder, thus delaying the correct diagnosis. We describe a 63-year-old man who had petechiae and ecchymoses of lower extremity, follicular hyperkeratosis, gingival hemorrhage and corkscrew hairs after consuming a restricted diet for 3 year. The diagnosis was confirmed by low concentration of vitamin C in serum, and treatment with vitamin C leads to a rapid reversal of scorbutc changs. We emphasize the importance of taking into consideration scurvy in the diagnosis of patient presenting with a skin rash resembling vasculitis or systemic bleeding disorder in high risk group.