Scurvy Scurvy Scurvy is a disease resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms include weakness, feeling tired, and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, decreased red blood cells, gum disease, changes to hair, and bleeding from the skin may occur. As scurvy worsens there can be poor wound healing, personality changes, and finally death from infection or bleeding. Typically, scurvy is caused by a lack of vitamin C in the diet. It takes at least a month of little to no vitamin C before symptoms occur. In modern times, it occurs most commonly in people with mental
Vitamin B12 deficiency anemia its first step, of taking an oral dose of radiolabelled vitamin B, followed by quantitation of the vitamin in the patient's urine over a 24-hour period via measurement of the radioactivity. A second step of the test repeats the regimen and procedure of the first step, with the addition of oral intrinsic factor. A patient with PA presents lower than normal amounts of intrinsic factor; hence, addition of intrinsic factor in the second step results in an increase in vitamin B absorption (over the baseline established in the first). The Schilling test distinguished PA from other forms of B deficiency,