What is Skorbüt disease? What are the symptoms and treatment methods?

Vitamin C; It is a water-soluble type of vitamin that is taken into the body with nutrients and especially freshly consumed vegetables and fruits, which have many important functions such as absorption of iron mineral in the body, energy production, production of structural proteins called collagen. The whole need of this vitamin, which cannot be produced in the human body, must be taken with the nutrients. Some health problems related to vitamin C deficiency may arise in cases such as inadequate and balanced nutrition, wrong eating habits or any disorder related to absorption of vitamin C taken with nutrients. One of them is score disease.
What is Scorebut?
Scorebut is a type of disease that develops due to excessive deficiency of vitamin C, and it includes negativities such as anemia, movement restriction, weakness, bleeding, pain in the arms and legs, swelling in some parts of the body, skin problems, gum diseases and tooth loss. Scorebut disease, which has been known since ancient Greek and Egyptian times, was known as the disease of sailors, where it was difficult to provide fresh products during long sea voyages. Apart from this, during periods of war and famine, scorpion disease was common in many regions of the world. Today, it is still possible to come across the disease in people who take insufficient vitamin C despite the fact that the availability of nutrients is easier and the incidence of scorebut disease has decreased considerably in the regions where the foods containing vitamin C cannot be consumed, with the consumption of bread enriched with vitamins and minerals. In case of a deficiency of vitamin C, which has important roles in collagen production in the body, disorders begin to appear in the skin and throughout the body, including blood vessels and connective tissues. In addition, the immune system is weakened, serious complications, especially anemia, occur due to insufficient iron absorption, and the working order of the endocrine system is disrupted by cholesterol metabolism. Although Scorebut is the most severe stage of vitamin deficiency, individuals who experience symptoms of vitamin C deficiency should take necessary precautions before reaching this stage.
What are the symptoms of scoreboard?
Symptoms of vitamin C deficiency begin to appear gradually 8-12 weeks after the intake of the vitamin inadequate. The earliest symptoms include loss of appetite, weight loss, irritability and drowsiness, fatigue and weakness. If the vitamin deficiency continues, more serious symptoms begin to appear between 1 month and 3 months. The most common of these are as follows:
Anemia
Bone pain and myalgia
Edema formation in various parts of the body
Formation and flaking of small spots on the skin surface, also called petechiae
Distortions in the structure of the bristles (corkscrew bristles)
Thickening of the skin (hypercreatosis)
Delay of wound healing
Gum diseases and tooth loss
Shortness of breath
Mood changes, depression, and the emergence of other mood disorders
Serious symptoms such as severe jaundice, sudden bleeding, neuropathy, fever and contractions may occur if the necessary treatments are not followed and vitamin deficiency continues after these symptoms. Infants and children with the disease prefer the position called frog leg posture in order to reduce the pain caused by contraction and pain. In addition, serious complications may occur due to subperiosteal hemorrhages occurring at the ends of long bones. If vitamin C deficiency occurs in women during pregnancy, the risk of fetal brain development in the baby increases, while the risk of miscarriage in the mother may occur.
What are the causes of scoreboard?
The cause of the scorebut disease is the inadequate intake of vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, as mentioned above, or inadequate absorption by the body. Some situations that may cause this insufficiency can be listed as follows:
Not consuming fresh vegetables and fruits due to low income, famine or personal tastes
Unhealthy diet
Mental health disorders that affect nutrition, such as anorexia nervosa
Old age
Restriction of dietary diversity due to allergies
Health problems that make oral feeding difficult or impossible
Smoking, alcohol and drug abuse
Late or failed weaning in infants
Crohn inflammatory bowel diseases that affect digestion and absorption, such as ulcerative colitis
Chemotherapy applications
Metabolic diseases
Neurological disorders
How is the scoreboard diagnosed?
The medical history of the patient is learned primarily in patients who apply to health institutions with vitamin C deficiency and scorebut symptoms. The medications he used and his acute or chronic diseases are questioned. After this, if vitamin C deficiency is suspected, patients should be directed to a dietician after the examinations and examinations to be performed by the physician in order to evaluate the nutritional status and to learn dietary habits. Daily vitamin intake can be investigated by taking a nutritional record by the dietitian or asking the patient to keep a record of food consumption for several days. At the same time, after making an evaluation according to personal preferences, food allergies and income status, after obtaining information about the factors that may cause vitamin C deficiency, a proper nutrition program should be prepared for the patient and the needs for macro and micronutrients should be fully met. A number of blood tests can be requested by the physician and information about the level of vitamin C can be obtained. In patients who have been found to be deficient in vitamin, vitamin supplements are generally recommended in addition to nutritional planning. In addition to the visible complications due to inadequacy, the possible treatment of the body is determined with the use of advanced examinations and medical imaging methods, and the treatment plan is determined and the patient is regularly checked during this period.
How is the scoreboard treatment done?
The only and definitive treatment of Scorbut disease is carried out in the form of full supply of vitamin C needed by the body and additional treatment for the problems that arise due to inadequacy. The patient is asked to adapt to this by creating a forward-looking nutrition plan. However, vitamin C supplements, which are administered orally or by injection, are necessary for acute complications to be treated as soon as possible and vitamin C levels can be reached within normal ranges. Vitamin supplements are generally recommended 1-2 grams daily for 2-3 days, 500 milligrams daily for the next 7 days, and 100 milligrams of vitamin C daily for the next 1-3 months. Although these doses are average, many conditions such as the patient's age, health status, and severity of complications should be evaluated and the appropriate dose should be determined by the physician. After the initiation of vitamin supplements, patients usually start to disappear within 24 hours, such as drowsiness, fatigue, pain, confusion and loss of appetite. Symptoms such as bleeding and low energy usually begin to improve within 1-2 weeks. Except for irreversible symptoms such as caries and tooth loss in teeth, all other symptoms can be completely cured within 3 months with treatment. It is possible to benefit from medical aesthetic applications and oral and dental health treatments for permanent problems related to long-term disability.
In order to be protected from all the negativities associated with deficiency of scorebut and vitamin C, the necessary sensitivity should be shown for healthy and balanced nutrition. If you also have vitamin C deficiency or experience symptoms related to it, you can apply to the healthcare facilities immediately and receive the necessary treatments. In this way, you can take precautions against serious and irrecoverable problems related to the scoreboard in the early period.

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