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Perifollicular haemorrhage with corkscrew hair due to scurvy
  1. Juan Nicolas Lessing1,
  2. Eric Daniel LaMotte2,
  3. Ata Saba Moshiri3,
  4. Nicholas Maxwell Mark4
  1. 1Hospital Medicine Section, Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
  2. 2Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
  3. 3Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
  4. 4Division of Pulmonary/Critical Care, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Juan N Lessing, Hospital Medicine Section, Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA; jnlessing{at}gmail.com

http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/postgradmedj-2015-133661

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    Introduction

    Ascorbic acid deficiency, or scurvy, is a serious multisystem illness with characteristic dermatological manifestations. In an era of food insecurity, scurvy remains a problem in marginalised populations, and is important for clinicians to be able to identify. Fortunately, with appropriate vitamin replacement, scurvy is readily treated. We describe a case of a man with unusual dietary habits leading to classic cutaneous manifestations of scurvy, exemplifying the typical clinical findings of this treatable disease.

    Case

    A 38-year-old Caucasian man with rheumatoid arthritis and schizophrenia presented to the emergency department with 3 weeks of progressively worsening rash, malaise and fatigue. He had no prior dermatological diagnoses and was taking no medications. For the past 6 months, due to self-diagnosed gluten insensitivity, …

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors All four authors provided substantial contributions to the conception or design, including drafting and revision of the manuscript, and all provided approval of the final version and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient consent Obtained.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.