Vitamin C Deficiency

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is essential for collagen formation and helps to maintain the integrity of connective tissue, bone and dentin. It is essential for wound healing and facilitates recovery from burns. Vitamin C also facilitates the absorption of iron.

Severe deficiency results in scurvy, which is characterised by haemorrhages and abnormal bone and dentin formation. The adverse effects of more mild degrees of vitamin C deficiency are not known. Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant but the benefit of vitamin C supplements is a subject of many claims but with very little evidence.

Vitamin C is found in a wide variety of fruit and vegetables. Good sources include:

• Fruits: especially grapefruits, lemons, blackcurrants, oranges and kiwi fruit
• Vegetables: e.g. broccoli, green peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, sprouts, and sweet potatoes
• Fresh milk

• The incidence of vitamin C deficiency peaks in children aged 6-12 months who are fed a diet deficient in citrus fruits or vegetables
• Incidence also peaks in the elderly

Risk Factors

• Alcoholism and conforming to food fads
• Elderly
• Low income families tend not to buy foods high in vitamin C
• Vitamin C deficiency has been noted in refugees
• Increased need due to increased utilisation in pregnant and lactating women, thyrotoxicosis, surgery, and burns
• Chronic diarrhoea increases faecal loss

• Early symptoms of scurvy are malaise, lethargy, myalgia and arthralgia
• Other symptoms include skin changes with easy bruising, gum disease, loosening of teeth and poor wound healing
• The gums become swollen, purple, spongy, and friable
• The skin shows papules and haemorrhages around hair follicles, petechiae and multiple bruises
• Nail splinter haemorrhages may occur
• In the later stages, jaundice, generalised oedema, oliguria, neuropathy, fever, and convulsions may occur.

• Clotting factor deficiencies
• Leukaemia
• Gingivitis
• Platelet dysfunction
• Senile purpura

• Plasma ascorbic acid levels are reduced
• Ascorbic acid levels in the white blood cell-platelet layer of centrifuged blood are more significant
• A positive capillary fragility test is an almost constant finding, and anaemia is common
• Bleeding, coagulation, and prothrombin times are all normal

• Ascorbic acid replacement therapy
• It is rarely necessary to prescribe more than 100mg daily except early in the treatment of scurvy.¹

• Scurvy is fatal if untreated
• Patients respond quickly to oral therapy

• Recommendations for dietary intake range from 40 to 200mg per day
• During pregnancy and lactation, intake should be between 100 and 200mg daily
• The recommended upper limit is 2 g/day
• Despite claims of benefit, very high doses of vitamin C have not been shown to decrease the incidence or severity of the common cold or protect against malignant disease or atherosclerosis. Very high doses of vitamin C do acidify the urine, may cause diarrhoea, predispose to urinary calculi and promote iron overload.