If you are wondering: “What kind of disease is scurvy?”, then be sure to read our article to the end. In it, we will talk about what constitutes this disease. Also find out what are its symptoms and treatments.
General information
Scurvy is a rather serious disease caused by an acute deficiency of vitamin C (or the so-called ascorbic acid). It should be noted that a deficiency of this element in the human body can very quickly lead to disruption of collagen synthesis, as a result of which the connective tissue will simply lose its former strength.
Case history
Scurvy is an illness, the first information about which dates back to the beginning of the 13th century. Historians have calculated that in the period from 1600 to 1800. about a million sailors died from this disease, which usually occurred on ships. These values exceeded the loss of life in all the battles of that time.
As for the continents, there mass diseases occurred only in isolated places where a lot of people accumulated (for example, in besieged fortresses, remote villages, prisons, etc.).
Discovery of disease
As mentioned above, scurvy is a disease that is caused by a lack of vitamin C. This fact was proven only in 1932. Initially, this disease was attributed to an infectious nature. However, sailors during their travels around the world noticed that on ships on which citrus fruits made up a significant proportion of the crew's diet, scurvy losses were negligible.
Shortly, the employees in the Navy began to receive rations, significantly different from the usual lunch of a military man. It included lemons, oranges and cranberries.
In 1747, by conducting the first clinical study, the doctor of the naval hospital, James Lind, proved that citrus fruits and herbs can prevent the development of the disease in question. In the same year, British Admiral Richard Hawkins also spoke about the means of preventing scurvy, who during his entire career lost about ten thousand subordinates who died of scurvy.
When does the disease appear?
Scurvy disease begins to develop with the complete cessation of ascorbic acid intake into the body. As a rule, symptoms begin to appear as early as the 4th week. As for the usual hypovitaminosis, the clinical manifestations in this case are less pronounced. They make themselves felt at a later date, namely after 4-7 months.
Main symptoms
Scurvy (lack of vitamin C) is primarily characterized by fragility of blood vessels. As a result, a hemorrhagic rash appears on the human body. Also, patients often complain of excessivegum bleeding. This fact is due to the fact that collagen, in the production of which vitamin C is directly involved, is the most important component of the vascular walls.
As a result of such a disease, the fixation of teeth weakens in a person due to poor attachment of the periosteum in the holes and to the bones. In the future, scurvy (lack of vitamin C) can lead to their loss. In addition, a person develops subperiosteal hemorrhages, causing very severe pain in all limbs.
It is impossible not to note the fact that the ailment in question contributes to a decrease in immunity and the appearance of hypochromic anemia.
Treatment process
Now you know what causes scurvy. It should be noted that it is quite easy to detect this disease in yourself. To do this, you just need to observe the symptoms that appear. If you notice the signs described above, then your body is deficient in ascorbic acid.
Treatment of scurvy can be done independently, without going to a doctor. After all, the therapy of this disease comes down only to providing your body with a sufficient amount of vitamin C. But if you doubt that you have this particular disease, then it is better to consult a doctor. The doctor will be able to quickly identify the presence or absence of this disease in you and, if necessary, prescribe a vitamin complex.
Disease prevention
Vitamins for scurvy can be purchased at pharmacies, or you can use food,which are rich in ascorbic acid.
It is especially important to prevent this disease in the winter, as well as during long stays in areas where it is very difficult to provide yourself with a complete and balanced diet.
Daily requirement for ascorbic acid
The preservation of vitamin C in foods occurs only if strict rules for their culinary processing and storage are observed. If you do not have the opportunity to get the required amount of ascorbic acid with food, then it is recommended to take this element in the form of dragees or tablets. However, it should be noted that an overdose of vitamin C also threatens to cause serious he alth problems. That is why it is very important to have information about the daily need of the body for ascorbic acid. So, the dose for children is from 30 to 75 mg per day, and for adults - 50-120 mg. In addition, it is recommended to take other multivitamin complexes.
Folk remedies for scurvy
If you have been given such a diagnosis, then you should not postpone the treatment of this disease on the back burner. After all, the longer your body experiences a deficiency of ascorbic acid, the stronger the symptoms will appear. So, a long-term lack of vitamin C can cause tooth loss, as well as problems with blood vessels, heart, etc.
Above, we have already talked about what measures need to be taken to overcome the mentioned disease. If you do not want to take vitamin complexes purchased at a pharmacy, then we recommend using folkrecipes. Thanks to them, after a few weeks, you will be able to notice a decrease in unpleasant symptoms.
So, consider the recipes for folk remedies against scurvy in more detail:
- To cure this disease, you need to take fresh needles, rinse it in cool water, and then put it in a saucepan, add sugar and make jam. The resulting delicacy is recommended to be consumed together with tea and lemon three times a day.
- If you do not like sweets, then you can make not jam, but a decoction from needles. To do this, 30 g of well-washed needles are taken, and then filled with water in an amount of 160 ml. The resulting mixture is boiled for 20 minutes in winter and 40 in summer. Ready broth should be drunk in two doses. Additionally, you can add a little fresh honey or a spoonful of sugar to it.
- Lemon water is often used for self-treatment of scurvy. To prepare such a product, 1 small fruit is squeezed into a glass. Lemon water is taken throughout the day. By the way, you can also rinse your mouth with the resulting liquid.
- In the event that you do not have time to make lemon water, then the mentioned fruit can be consumed just like that. To do this, it is washed, cut into slices, and then lightly sprinkled with sugar and eaten with water or tea.
Among other things, with scurvy, you should eat a variety of citrus fruits to your taste (tangerines, grapefruits, oranges, etc.). It is also necessary to include cranberries in your diet, cranberryjuice, baked potatoes, fresh parsley and dill, lettuce, sauerkraut and other foods high in vitamin C.
