Scurvy: Vitamin C Deficiency, Signs, Who Gets It and Treatment

Urgent guidance first

Scurvy is rare, but it is a medical condition that needs a clinician. The NHS (UK) says it is important that scurvy is treated quickly, because without treatment it can cause serious problems and may even be life-threatening. [1] The NHS advises people at risk who have easy bruising, swollen bleeding gums, joint or leg swelling, a high temperature or yellow skin to ask for an urgent GP appointment, and to call 999 or go to A&E (UK) for symptoms such as a rash that does not fade under pressure, a sudden severe headache, confusion, chest pain or difficulty breathing. [1] In the US, call 911 in an emergency. Do not try to treat suspected scurvy alone.

What scurvy is

Scurvy is the disease that results from a severe lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in the diet. MedlinePlus says it causes general weakness, anemia, gum disease, poor wound healing and bleeding into the skin. [2] The NHS says it is caused by not having enough vitamin C in the diet over a long period, and that vitamin C is mainly found in fruit and vegetables. [1] Vitamin C is needed to form collagen, a protein used in skin, tendons, ligaments and blood vessels, and to heal wounds. [3] A review of vitamin C notes that the only clinically well-documented indication for vitamin C is scurvy. [4] For the vitamin itself see Vitamin C.

Signs and symptoms

The NHS lists feeling very tired and weak, feeling irritable and sad, joint, muscle or leg pain, swollen bleeding gums (sometimes teeth can fall out), red or blue spots on the skin that may be less noticeable on brown or black skin, and skin that bruises easily. [1] It also mentions wounds that reopen or heal poorly. [1] MedlinePlus lists other deficiency signs such as bleeding gums, nosebleeds, easy bruising, dry splitting hair and swollen painful joints. [3] These signs have many other causes. They cannot confirm scurvy, and a clinician makes the diagnosis.

Who gets scurvy today

It is not only a disease of sailors. The groups below come from the sources we read.

The same review notes that diagnosis may be delayed and invasive testing done because clinicians do not expect the disease, and concludes that scurvy is still a disease of the present day. [5] Even people who do not eat very healthily all the time are not usually considered at risk, according to the NHS. [1]

Testing and treatment

• Testing. Proper evidence not found in the NHS, MedlinePlus or PubMed pages we read for a standard home test or a blood-level cut-off for diagnosing scurvy, so none is given. See Vitamin Deficiency Testing.
• Treatment. The NHS says mild cases are often easily treated by adding vitamin C to the diet, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, and a GP may also recommend vitamin C supplements (ascorbic acid) until you feel better. [1] Most people feel better within days and make a full recovery, and a GP may refer to a specialist depending on the cause. [1]
• Amounts for treatment are decided by the clinician. We did not find a dose in the sources we read and do not give one.
• Case reports. A 2024 review of 32 case reports linked vitamin C deficiency with pulmonary hypertension (high pressure in the lung arteries) in people, most of whom had poor diets. This is low-level evidence from case reports, not a trial. [6]

Official intake references

These are levels for stated groups, not personal advice.

MedlinePlus says amounts greater than 2,000 mg a day are not recommended, because they can cause stomach upset and diarrhea and rarely kidney stones. [3] See High-Dose Vitamin C and RDA, AI, DV and UL. Raw fruits and vegetables are the best food sources, and cooking or long storage can reduce vitamin C content. [3] See Foods High in Vitamin C.