How scurvy is making a comeback due to the cost of living crisis

Kate Ng
·Trending Lifestyle Reporter
·3-min read
Box of oranges to illustrate risk of developing scurvy if you don't have enough vitamin C in your diet. (Getty Images)
You may be at risk of scurvy if you don't eat enough fruit and vegetable containing vitamin C. (Getty Images)

When you hear the word ‘scurvy’, you’d be forgiven for thinking of it as being a disease of the past, suffered mostly by early sailors and Victorians. However, the condition is seeing a modern-day resurgence - and experts believe the cost of living is to blame.

Doctors in Australia have suggested that the rising cost of living, which has caused the price of groceries to soar in recent years, is making it harder for people to afford nutritious food.

Writing in the BMJ Case Reports journal, doctors from the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, Australia, described scurvy as a "re-emerging disease", adding: "It can present as early as a month after a vitamin C-deficient diet."

Closer to home, cases of scurvy have also been rising. Figures obtained by LBC from found that there were at least 13,000 diagnoses of malnutrition between October 2022 to October 2023 - more than 150 of which were cases of scurvy.

In comparison, the number of diagnoses for malnutrition between 2021 and 2022 was at just over 10,000. 10 years prior, between 2010 to 2011, just 3,500 cases of malnutrition were recorded in England, LBC reported.

Experts also warned that the symptoms of scurvy may be mistaken for for other conditions, so the true number of cases may be higher than thought.

So how does scurvy develop and what are the signs?

Woman filling pain because of bleeding gums. Periodontal disease, avitaminosis, gingivitis, scurvy. High quality photo
Signs of scurvy can include bleeding gums. (Getty Images)

Scurvy is a severe vitamin C deficiency that occurs when people don’t have enough vitamin C in their diet.

You may be at risk of developing scurvy if you:

  • Don’t eat fresh fruits or vegetables for a period of time

  • Eat very little food at all

  • Smoke, as smoking reduces how much vitamin C your body absorbs

  • Have a long-term dependency on drugs or alcohol that affects your diet

  • Have a poor diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding

Babies, children and older people who find it hard to have a healthy diet may be at higher risk of scurvy.

Female doctor putting her hand on patient’s shoulder
It's important to get scurvy treated quickly. (Getty Images)

Symptoms of scurvy can include:

  • Feeling very tired and weak all the time

  • Feeling irritable and sad all the time

  • Joint, muscle or leg pain

  • Swollen, bleeding gums

  • Teeth falling out

  • Developing red or blue spots on the skin, usually on the legs and feet

  • Skin that bruises easily

Scurvy must be treated quickly as it can lead to serious problems and may even be life-threatening, the NHS says.

Mild cases of scurvy can be easily treated by adding vitamin C to your diet, such as from fresh fruits and vegetables, or by taking vitamin C supplements.

The GP may refer you to a specialist for treatment, support or advice.

Shiny bright Mandarin oranges sit on a clean white shadowy surface while others fall from above creating shadows. Space for copy.
Eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables can help you get the vitamin C you need. (Getty Images)

There are many fresh fruits and vegetables that contain high amounts of vitamin C, which you can eat in order to get your daily recommended dose of the essential vitamin.

Adults aged 19 to 64 years of age need 40mg of vitamin C per day.

These include:

  • Citrus fruits, such as oranges and orange juice

  • Peppers

  • Strawberries

  • Blackcurrants

  • Broccoli

  • Brussels sprouts

  • Potatoes

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