Vitamin C deficiency

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Hypovitaminosis C is also when in-hospital highly prevalent but almost completely unrecognized. Medical awareness of this potentially important disorder is hindered by the inability of most hospital laboratories to determine plasma Vitamin C concentrations. The availability of a simple, reliable method for analyzing plasma vitamin C could increase opportunities for routine plasma vitamin C analysis in clinical medicine.[1]

This is also described in[2] will give the following symptoms: lassitude, fatigue and irritability.

Evidence

The disease of terminal vitamin C deficiency – Scurvy – is first suspected on clinical grounds. The diagnosis is confirmed by documenting a plasma vitamin C concentration < 11.4 μmol/L and observing prompt clinical improvement after appropriate vitamin C provision. Scurvy is rare in the modern world, but hypovitaminosis C (plasma vitamin C concentration < 28.4 μmol/L ) or marginal vitamin C deficiency (plasma vitamin C concentration < 28.4 μmol/L but > 11.4 μmol/L ) is not. Hypovitaminosis C occurs in  ~ 10% of the general population , in  ~ 30 % of cigarette smokers and  ~ 60% of acutely hospitalized patients, in whom it could contribute to fatigue and mood disturbance, immune system dysfunction, impaired wound healing, the complex regional pain syndrome and the complications of cardiovascular disease.[1]


Cited from [2] : Subclinical Vitamin C Deficiency: Clinical Application. Six of seven volunteers noted mild but distinct fatigue and/or irritability at depletion, without scurvy. Symptoms disappeared within several days of the 30- or 60-mg daily dose. Although fatigue and irritability have myriad causes, vitamin C deficiency without scurvy should be an additional consideration. Since fatigue and irritability are common symptoms and were so easily reversible, physicians should ask patients with these symptoms about vitamin C ingestion from foods or supplements.

Steady state plateau ascorbic acid concentration in plasma. Data are an example of plateau determination from volonteer 6 at the 60mg dose.

Blood test

The blood test procedure for Vitamin C deficiency is highly advanced.[2] A simpler but less accurate is proposed in [1]


Notable studies

  • 1996, Vitamin C pharmacokinetics in healthy volunteers: evidence for a recommended dietary allowance[2] (Full Text)


See also

Learn more

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Robitaille, Line; Hoffer, L John (April 21, 2016), "A simple method for plasma total vitamin C analysis suitable for routine clinical laboratory use", Nutrition Journal, 15 (40)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Levine, Mark; Conry-Cantilena, Cathy; Wang, Yaohui; Welch, Richard W.; Washko, Louis R.; Dhariwal; Park; Lazarev; Graumlich; King; Cantilena (1996), "Vitamin C pharmacokinetics in healthy volunteers: evidence for a recommended dietary allowance", Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 93 (8): 3704-9