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Case Reports
. 2023 Sep 8:21:eRC0356.
doi: 10.31744/einstein_journal/2023RC0356. eCollection 2023.

Scurvy and food selectivity in childhood: a case report

Nicole Carvalho Xavier Micheloni da Silva  1 , Paula Fraiman Blatyta Caselli  1 , Chahine Pereira Marinho  1 , Lucia Daihana Godoy Lopez  1 , Fernanda Menezes Vasconcelos  1 , Mariana Vicentin Nauff  1 , Kamila Caixeta Gonçalves  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Scurvy and food selectivity in childhood: a case report

Nicole Carvalho Xavier Micheloni da Silva et al. Einstein (Sao Paulo). .

Abstract

Despite its rarity, symptomatic micronutrient deficiency remains a public health problem. Scurvy is the differential diagnosis for bleeding disorders and hematological and rheumatological diseases, especially in patients with eating disorders. However, it is unrelated to autism spectrum disorders or other neurodevelopmental disorders. A previously healthy 10-year-old boy living in São Paulo, Brazil, had a history of significant food selectivity unrelated to autism spectrum disorder, resulting in symptomatic ascorbic acid deficiency (scurvy). This resulted in pain and purpuric lesions on the lower limbs, gingival edema, bleeding during tooth brushing, asthenia, weakness, malaise, and sadness. Therefore, dietary anamnesis is important for routine monitoring of child growth and development. This process helps prevent nutritional deficiencies, facilitates early diagnosis of eating disorders, and enables multidisciplinary follow-up for these patients.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Swollen and inflamed gums
Figure 2
Figure 2. Purpuric lesions on lower limbs
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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