Australian man diagnosed with scurvy due to poor diet

An Australian man has been diagnosed with scurvy, an 18th-century disease associated with sailors, and doctors warned that the "disease of the past" is re-emerging due to poor diet and rising cost of living.

- Eileen Ng

The disease, caused by a vitamin C deficiency, was prevalent among seafarers in the 18th century as they had no access to fresh fruits and vegetables during long voyages.

Doctors, however, were surprised to see the condition in the middle-aged man from Perth, Western Australia.

According to a report from medical journal BMJ Case Reports published on Sept 22, doctors found tiny painful red-brown pinpoints, resembling a rash, on the man's legs.

He was put through a battery of tests including blood tests, a CT scan and skin biopsies, which did not shed any light on the underlying causes of his condition.

Instead, his rash spread to his hands.

This prompted doctors at Sir Charles Gairdner hospital—where the man was hospitalized—to look into his personal history, and they found that his living circumstances "were poor".