New Delhi, October 7 (IANS). Recently, a survey has shown that due to deficiency of Vitamin C in our body, there is a risk of abnormal bleeding, fatigue and weakness. This possibility occurs most in elderly people.
Detailing the case of a 65-year-old woman who had low physical activity and was socially isolated, the study published in the CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) reports that scurvy, or vitamin C deficiency, only occurred in the 18th century. There is no sailor’s disease.
Researchers at the University of Toronto in Canada have urged physicians to keep an eye out for scurvy in patients with unusual bleeding and typical symptoms.
This elderly woman was suffering from many diseases like leg pain and weakness, skin lesions and change in complexion. Due to which he was brought to the emergency department of Downtown Toronto Hospital. This woman had many chronic health problems even before this.
She was also unable to go grocery shopping, cook, and perform other daily activities due to problems arising from low physical activity. She subsisted mainly on canned soup and fish.
Dr. Sarah Engelhardt of Mount Sinai Hospital and the University of Toronto elaborated on this topic. “This case represents a complex example of food insecurity manifesting as an unusual diagnosis,” he said.
In this research, researchers found that Vitamin ‘C’ deficiency is more common in the 21st century than researchers and doctors expected. However, treatment of this disease is often challenging, as its symptoms are often vague, such as fatigue, weakness, and shortness of breath.
This woman selected for research also smoked, which increased the deficiency of Vitamin C in her body. Doctors said her symptoms improved after she started vitamin C treatment and a blood test for vitamin C deficiency eventually confirmed the diagnosis.
“Physicians should be alert to vitamin C deficiency when evaluating patients, including children and the elderly,” the doctors said.
–IANS
PSM/AS
