Symptoms of Deficiency in Vitamin C
Adults with vitamin C deficiency may exhibit symptoms after a few weeks to a month of depleted vitamin C reserves. In the early phases of vitamin C deficiency, some of the most common symptoms include sudden weight loss, weakness, lassitude, arthralgias, and vague myalgias. After several months of vitamin C deficiency, scurvy, a severe disorder caused by connective tissue defects, may develop. In the later phases of vitamin C deficiency, scurvy patients exhibit symptoms such as coiled hair, follicular hyperkeratosis, and perifollicular haemorrhages.
In cases of severe deficiency, the gums may become swollen, spongy, friable, purple, and more prone to haemorrhage. With the depletion of vitamin C reserves in the body, teeth ultimately become loose and begin to fall out. Due to vitamin C deficiency, a person’s health may be jeopardised by the development of secondary infections. Wounds can readily rip and heal poorly, and spontaneous haemorrhages can occur, especially in the lower limbs, resulting in bulbar conjunctival haemorrhage. In addition to femoral neuropathy, other signs and symptoms of vitamin C deficiency include excruciating bleeding and joint effusions.
Additional vitamin C deficiency symptoms include:
Rough, bumpy epidermis
Vitamin C is necessary for the production of collagen, a protein abundant in connective tissues such as joints, hair, skin, blood vessels, and bones. When vitamin C levels are depleted, the skin condition keratosis pilaris develops. Due to the accumulation of keratin within the skin’s pores, the development of keratosis pilaris can result in bumpy skin on the thighs, upper limbs, and buttocks. Keratosis pilaris is typically caused by vitamin C deficiency after three to five months of inadequate supply. With sufficient vitamin C supplementation, the skin condition can be resolved.
