A Boy with Rash and Joint Pain Diagnosed with Scurvy: A Case Report

James Tran, MD and Yih Ying (Eva) Yuan, MD

doi:https://doi.org/10.21980/J89H1X

A Boy with Rash and Joint Pain Diagnosed with Scurvy: A Case Report

James Tran, MD^* and Yih Ying (Eva) Yuan, MD^{^}

^*Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA

^{^}Emergency Medicine Specialists of Orange County (EMSOC), Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Orange, CA

Correspondence should be addressed to James Tran, MD at jamestran777@gmail.com

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21980/J89H1X Issue 6:4

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ABSTRACT:

While rare, scurvy is a disease the emergency physician should continue to consider in the differential of bruising and joint pain. Although these symptoms are nonspecific, the astute physician should remain open-minded even when scurvy is not likely to be seen in an economically stable country. Contrary to this, we report a case of a young boy in the United States with scurvy who presented with a rash and limp. The diagnosis of scurvy can be made alone by a thorough history, but radiologic studies and pertinent labs also helped. Early diagnosis resulted in adequate vitamin supplementation and quick recovery of symptoms thereby avoiding unnecessary testing and lowering the cost of care.