[A case of scurvy with alveolar hemorrhage]

Abstract

A 53-yr-old man with a history of chronic renal failure was admitted to the hospital of Hyogo College of Medicine on March 24th, 1999, because of severe continuous hemoptysis. On February 14th, 1999, the patient had undergone a cadaveric kidney transplantation in the urology department of another hospital. He did not experience any immunological reactions due to tissue rejection. On admission, subcutaneous bleeding at the site of an injection received 1 month before was noticed on his left arm. Petecheae of the extremities and a conjunctival hemorrhage were also noted. However, coagulation and fibrinolysis tests were essentially normal. These findings indicated that the hemorrhages were due to vessel weakness. Scurvy was diagnosed since his serum vitamin C was extremely low (0.2 microgram/ml). The patient was given ascorbic acid (1 g/day), and his condition improved dramatically. Ten years ago, the patient had had renal failure, which had been treated with chronic maintenance dialysis and dietary restriction. It has been postulated that a diet lacking in vitamin C or the steroid treatment he received after kidney transplantation may have induced the scurvy.