Scurvy in Spastic Cerebral Palsy: A Case Report - โรคลักปิดลักเปิดในผู้ป่วยพิการทางสมอง : รายงานผู้ป่วย

Abstract

           Scurvy (vitamin C deficiency) is a rare disease in children. It is potentially fatal but easily curable. Symptoms are bone pain, bleeding per gum, ecchymosis, swelling gum and fever. The diagnosis of scurvy is made on clinical grounds and radiographic scan of long bones. A 3-year and 4 month- old boy with spastic cerebral palsy who could not walk having fever, weight loss and more spasticity of muscles, was diagnosed to be effected by scurvy from symptoms and signs. His knees radiograph was relevant to scurvy. He had history of taking only UHT milk, no fruits and vegetables. After treatment with vitamin C, the clinical signs rapidly disappeared. In conclusion, spastic cerebral palsy with scurvy is difficult to be diagnosed because patients are normally unable to walk or communicate. As such, vitamin C supplement, is recommended to all spastic cerebral palsy.

Key words: scurvy, vitamin C deficiency, spastic cerebral palsy