Lessons learned from "the great mimicker disease": A retrospective study of 18 patients with scurvy

Scurvy is an uncommon medical condition that affects children and is caused by an inadequate intake of vitamin C. This study presents the characteristics of patients with scurvy to raise awareness of the diagnostic process in developing countries where laboratory testing for vitamin C levels is often not available.

A retrospective study was performed from period of 2018 to 2023. Data extraction includes patient age, sex, body mass index, constitutional symptoms, musculoskeletal, mucosal, cutaneous symptoms, other accompanying disorders, anemia, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, radiographic examination, vitamin C dose, and duration of treatment. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed in this study.

Eighteen cases (17 males, 1 female) of scurvy were referred to our institution. Thirteen of 18 patients were misdiagnosed before referral. The median age at presentation was 4.5 (range, 2-11) years. The average body mass index was 13.93 ± 0.63 kg/m². Half of patients had healthy weight. All patients presented with lower limb pain and 17 of 18 with refusal to walk. The median onset of diagnosis was 11 (range 4-48) weeks. White line of Frankel was described in all patients. Seven had anemia and 6 of 18 had increase in erythrocyte sedimentation rate and/or C-reactive protein levels. Only one patient had ascorbic acid levels evaluation before treatment since it was not readily available in our country. Treatment length varied from 2 weeks to 6 months.

The diagnosis of scurvy is frequently delayed due to its extreme rarity in modern society and its ability to mimic numerous other conditions. In children presenting with limb pain and/or reluctance to walk and pathognomonic radiological findings, physicians must prioritize scurvy as a differential diagnosis. In scurvy, vitamin C supplementation is curative.