thromboplastin and Scurvy

Dear Editor, Scurvy is a nutritional disorder which can develop after prolonged (>1-3 months) severe vitamin C deficiency. Vitamin C is a cofactor in several enzyme reactions involved in collagen synthesis. The defect in collagen causes blood vessel fragility, poor wound healing, mucocutaneous bleedings, hair abnormalities, bone pains, and joint contractures due to periosteal and intraarticular bleeding (1,2). Risk factors for scurvy development are undernutrition, low socioeconomic status, older age, male sex, alcoholism, tobacco smoking, and severe psychiatric illnesses (1-3). The required daily intake for vitamin C is ~60 mg, and this amount of vitamin C can be found in only one medium-sized orange. For this reason, the disease is rarely encountered in developed countries and is often underrecognized by healthcare personnel. Herein, we present an illustrative case of scurvy in order to raise the awareness of this disorder. A 61-year-old Caucasian man was admitted to hospital due to fatigue, hypotension (80/50 mmHg), severe normocytic anemia (hemoglobin 76 g/L), kidney failure (estimated glomerular filtration rate of 6 mL/min/1.73m2) and mild elevation in C-reactive protein (30.9 mg/L). Prior medical history included radical cystoprostatectomy with an ileal conduit performed eight years ago due to a bladder tumor and moderate chronic kidney disease with recurrent urinary tract infections. The patient was also an alcoholic and tobacco smoker, with a very low-income and a poor diet. He did not use any medications. Heteroanamnestically, the current clinical state had developed slowly over several weeks. At admission, the patient was afebrile, lethargic, malnourished, and immobile due to generalized weakness, bone pains, and hip and knee contractures. He had generalized edema, mostly related to kidney failure, as well as severe hypoalbuminemia (serum albumin 19 g/L). There were multiple ecchymoses (Figure 1, a) and perifollicular bleedings (Figure 1, b) in the skin. The teeth were defective, and the patient's facial hair had a "corkscrew" appearance (Figure 1, c). The platelet count was normal, as was the serum fibrinogen level and the prothrombin- and activated partial thromboplastin times. Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium and multi-drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumanii were isolated from the urine. Therefore, hemodialysis, linezolid, and colistin were started. However, the patient continued to be lethargic, immobile, and with prominent skin bleed

Topics: Anemia; Anticoagulants; Ascorbic Acid; Ascorbic Acid Deficiency; C-Reactive Protein; Colistin; Contracture; Fatigue; Fibrinogen; Humans; Linezolid; Male; Middle Aged; Prothrombin; Renal Insufficiency; Scurvy; Serum Albumin; Thromboplastin; Vancomycin; Vitamins