Scurvy, a disease caused by severe vitamin C deficiency, is making a comeback in France. A new study links its resurgence, particularly among young children from low-income families, to rising food insecurity and inflation since the Covid pandemic.
Scurvy is caused by a severe deficiency in vitamin C – most commonly found in citrus fruits and leafy green vegetables. The disease causes bone pain, fatigue and bleeding gums and, in very rare cases, death.
It was known as “sailor’s disease” as it was rife on board ships in the 16th to 19th centuries, when sailors were deprived of fresh fruit and vegetables for months on end.
While improved nutrition has made scurvy virtually extinct in high-income countries, new research has shown a resurgence in France, particularly among young children from low-income families.
Hospital doctors and researchers from France’s public health research body (Inserm) and Université Paris Cité analysed trends among nearly 900 children hospitalised with scurvy in France over a nine-year period, until November 2023.
The study, published in the medical journal The Lancet, found the biggest increase in cases was among children aged four to 10, and largely those from low-income families.
“There would seem to be a link with poverty,” said Ulrich Meinzer, the study’s coordinator and a paediatrician at Robert-Debré Hospital in Paris.
‘Public health issue’
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