What is scurvy? Scurvy disease is ...

If you are asking yourself the question: "Scurvy is that for a disease?", Then be sure to read our article to the end. In it, we will tell you what the present ailment is. Also find out what are its symptoms and methods of treatment.

general information

Scurvy is a fairly serious disease that is caused by an acute shortage of vitamin C (or so-called ascorbic acid). It should be noted that the deficiency of this element in the human body can very quickly lead to a violation of collagen synthesis, as a result of which the connective tissue will simply lose its former strength.

Disease history

Scurvy is an ailment, the first information about which refers to the beginning of the 13th century. Historians have calculated that in the period from 1600 to 1800 gg. Of this disease, which usually arose on ships, about a million sailors died. These values exceeded the human losses in all battles of that time.

As far as the mainland, there were massive diseases there only in isolated places, where a lot of people gathered (for example, in besieged fortresses, remote settlements, prisons, etc.).

Discovery of disease

As it was said above, scurvy is an ailment caused by a lack of vitamin C. This fact was proved only in 1932. Initially, this disease was attributed to an infectious nature. However, sailors during wandering around the world noticed that on ships where citrus fruits constituted a significant portion of the team's diet, the losses from scurvy were insignificant.

Soon, employees in the Navy began to receive rations that differed significantly from the usual dinner of a military man. It included lemons, oranges and cranberries.

In 1747, after the first clinical study, the doctor of the sea hospital James Lind proved that citrus fruits and herbs can prevent the development of the disease in question. About means of prophylaxis of scurvy in the same year spoke and the British admiral Richard Hawkins, who throughout his career lost about ten thousand subordinates, who died of scurvy.

When does the disease appear?

The disease of scurvy begins to develop with complete cessation of the intake of ascorbic acid into the body. As a rule, the symptoms begin to appear already on the 4th week. As for ordinary hypovitaminosis, the clinical manifestations in this case are less pronounced. They make themselves felt at a later date, namely in 4-7 months.

Main symptoms

Scurvy (lack of vitamin C) is primarily characterized by the fragility of the vessels. As a consequence, a hemorrhagic rash appears on the human body . Also, patients often complain of excessive bleeding gums. This fact is due to the fact that collagen, in the production of which directly participates vitamin C, is an important component of the vascular walls.

As a result of such a disease, the fixation of the teeth weakens due to poor attachment of the periosteum in the wells and to the bones. In the future, scurvy (lack of vitamin C) can lead to their loss. In addition, a person has subperiosteal hemorrhage, causing very severe pain in all limbs.

It should be noted and 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 finding this disease is relatively easy. For this it is necessary only to observe the manifesting symptoms. If you notice the signs described above, then your body is deficient in ascorbic acid.

Treatment of scurvy can be done independently, without contacting a doctor. After all, the therapy of this disease is reduced only to provide your body with a sufficient amount of vitamin C. But if you doubt that you have this particular disease, it is better to consult a doctor. The doctor will be able to quickly identify the presence or absence of this disease and, if necessary, prescribe a vitamin complex.

Prevention of disease

Vitamins with scurvy can be purchased in pharmacies, and you can use foods that are rich in ascorbic acid.

Especially important is the prevention of this illness in winter, as well as long-term stay in those areas where it is very difficult to provide a full and balanced diet.

The daily requirement for ascorbic acid

Preservation of vitamin C in products occurs only when strict rules for their cooking and storage are observed. If you do not have the opportunity to get the required amount of ascorbic acid from food, then it is recommended to take this element in the form of tablets or tablets. However, it should be noted that an overdose of vitamin C also threatens serious health problems. That is why it is very important to have information about the daily requirement of the body in ascorbic acid. Thus, the dose for children is 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 are diagnosed with this, do not delay treatment of the disease in the long box. After the longer your body will experience a deficiency of ascorbic acid, the more symptoms will appear. So, a prolonged lack of vitamin C can cause tooth loss, as well as problems with blood vessels, the heart, etc.

Above we have already talked about what measures must be taken to overcome the aforementioned disease. If you do not want to take vitamin complexes purchased in a pharmacy, we recommend using popular recipes. Thanks to them in a few weeks you can note the reduction of unpleasant symptoms.

So, consider the recipes of folk remedies against scurvy in more detail:

• To cure this disease, it is necessary to take fresh needles, rinse it in cool water, and then put it in a pan, add sugar and boil jam. It is recommended to take this delicacy together with tea and lemon three times a day.
• If you do not like sweets, then from the needles you can cook not jam, but a decoction. To do this, take 30 g of well-washed needles, and then filled with water in an amount of 160 ml. The resulting mixture is boiled for 20 minutes in the winter and 40 - in the summer. A ready-made broth should be drunk in two divided doses. In addition, you can add a little fresh honey or a spoonful of sugar.
• For independent treatment of scurvy, lemon water is often used. To prepare such a product, 1 small fruit is squeezed into the glass. Lemon water is taken during the day. By the way, the received liquid can rinse and mouth.
• In the event that you do not have time to make lemon water, then the mentioned fruit can be consumed and just like that. To do this, it is washed, cut into slices, and then lightly sprinkled with sugar and eaten, washed down with water or tea.

Among other things, with scurvy, you should eat a variety of citrus fruits for your taste (mandarins, grapefruits, oranges, etc.). It is also necessary to include in your diet cranberries, cranberry juice, baked potatoes, fresh parsley and dill, green salad, sauerkraut and other foods high in vitamin C.