Scurvy facts for kids

Photo of the chest cage with pectus excavatum and scorbutic rosaries.

Scurvy is a disease (sickness). It is caused by not eating enough vitamin C. But scurvy can be prevented. It has many symptoms. People who have scurvy get spots on their skin, especially on their legs. Their teeth may loosen and/or fall out. They may bleed from the mouth, nose, and gums (mucus membranes). A person with scurvy will look pale and feel sad. They will not be able to move easily, because their joints hurt.

Scurvy can be easily cured. Oranges and other fruits can restore vitamins. In the past, sailors more commonly got scurvy. Fresh fruit could not be kept for long.The main cause of scurvy is lack of fresh fruits and vegetables. It is uncommon today.

Signs of scurvy

At first, a person with scurvy may:

Not want to eat (loss of appetite)
Feel sad (slight depression)
Lose weight or not get heavier even though they eat a lot
Have loose feces (diarrhea)
Breathe fast (tachypnea)
Be hot (have a high body temperature or fever)

A bit later a person with scurvy may:

Feel angry (irritability)
Have pains in the legs (and tenderness)
Find it hard to move (pseudo paralysis)
Have swelling of the arms and legs
Bleed from the mouth, nose and gums

Why people get scurvy

Not eating enough food that has vitamin C
Going on a long trip, often at sea, where there is no fresh food
Not having enough food (famine)
Breaking down the vitamin C by over-cooking (like boiling fruit juice)

Treatment of scurvy

Eating vitamin C pills or giving it by needle (injection, also known as a shot). The injection almost always cures scurvy in babies.
Drinking orange juice is another treatment that works in babies. Before vitamin C was discovered this was the only treatment.

When a person gets help for scurvy, they usually get better very quickly. Babies start eating again after one or two days of help. The symptoms get better within seven days.

Getting vitamin C from food

Eating vitamin C prevents scurvy. How much vitamin C a person needs changes with his or her age and is different for pregnant and lactating women. The following is the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council's advice on how much vitamin C to eat every day:

Infants (babies): 30–40 mg
Children and adults: 45–60 mg
Pregnant women: 70 mg
Mothers breast feeding: 90–95 mg

Foods with a lot of vitamin C include the following:

Citrus fruits (for example: oranges, limes)
Berries
Cantaloupe
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Spinach
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Strawberries

Images for kids

A child presenting a "scorbutic tongue" due to what proved to be a vitamin C deficiency.
A child with scurvy in flexion posture.
X-ray of the knee joint (arrow indicates scurvy line).
James Lind, a pioneer in the field of scurvy prevention
Page from the journal of Henry Walsh Mahon showing the effects of scurvy, from his time aboard HM Convict Ship Barrosa. 1841/2