What is the Difference Between Rickets and Scurvy

Rickets and scurvy are two different conditions due to deficiency of two different vitamins. Both these conditions are more common in children. Moreover, there is also evidence of co-occurrence of rickets and scurvy.

The key difference between rickets and scurvy is their cause. Rickets is due to vitamin D deficiency, while scurvy is due to vitamin C deficiency.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Rickets  
3. What is Scurvy
4. Similarities – Rickets and Scurvy
5. Rickets vs Scurvy in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Rickets vs Scurvy
7. FAQ – Rickets and Scurvy

What is Rickets?

Rickets is a disease that primarily affects children, causing them to have soft bones that break and bend more easily. It is usually caused by a deficiency in vitamin D. Sometimes, it can be caused by underlying genetic disorders. The signs and symptoms of this condition are bowing of leg bones, a widening of knees, bone pain, swelling of the ends of ribs, pigeon chest, growth delays, unusual curving of the spine, teeth problems, and seizures. The risk factors for this condition include newborns and infants, children who do not get enough sunlight outdoors, and children with darker skin.

Rickets is diagnosed through physical examination, blood testing, urine testing, bone biopsies, and genetic testing. Furthermore, rickets can be treated through diet changes (a diet involving high vitamin D), taking daily vitamin D supplements, exposure to sunlight, and surgery.

What is Scurvy?

Scurvy is a condition that most commonly affects babies, children, and older adults due to a deficiency in vitamin C in their diet. It can be triggered by not eating enough fresh fruits and vegetables and certain conditions like pregnancy, breastfeeding, disorders that cause high fever, overactive thyroid glands, chronic diarrhoea, recent surgery, burns, and tobacco usage. The typical symptoms of this condition include anemia, swollen, bleeding gums, loosened teeth that may fall out, bleeding under the skin, easily bruised skin, rough, scaly skin, swollen legs, the opening of previously healed wounds, and new wounds that do not heal, dry, brittle hair that coils like a corkscrew.

Scurvy can be diagnosed through physical examinations, blood tests, and biopsy. Furthermore, scurvy is treated by consuming a vitamin C-rich diet and vitamin C supplements (for children, 300 mg daily, and for adults, 500 mg and 1000 mg daily).

Similarities Between Rickets and Scurvy

• Rickets and scurvy are two conditions due to a deficiency of very important vitamins.
• These can cause complications if not managed properly.
• Both these can be diagnosed through physical examination and blood tests.
• They can be treated through consuming a vitamin-rich diet and supplementation.

Difference Between Rickets and Scurvy

Definition

1. Rickets is a disease mainly seen mainly in children due to a lack of vitamin D.
2. Scurvy is a disease seen mainly in children, babies and older adults and is due to lack of vitamin C.

Risk Factors

1. Risk factors for rickets include not eating vitamin D rich diet, newborns and infants, children who do not get enough sunlight outdoors and children who are having darker skin.
2. Risk factors for scurvy include not eating enough fresh fruits and vegetables that provide vitamin C and certain conditions like pregnancy, breast feeding, disorders that cause high fever, overactive thyroid glands, chronic diarrhoea, recent surgery, burns and tobacco usage.

Symptoms

1. Rickets symptoms include bowing of leg bones, a widening of knees, bone pain, swelling of the ends of ribs, pigeon chest, growth delays, unusual curving of the spine, teeth problems and seizures.
2. Scurvy symptoms include anemia, swollen, bleeding gums, loosened teeth that may fall out, bleeding under the skin, easily bruised skin, rough, scaly skin, swollen legs, opening of previously healed wounds and new wounds that do not heal, dry, brittle hair that coils like a corkscrew.

Complications

1. Complications of rickets include bones that easily bend, break, and movement problems.
2. Complications of scurvy include anaemia, weakness and loosing teeth.

Diagnosis

1. Rickets can be diagnosed by physical examination, blood testing, urine testing, bone biopsies and genetic testing.
2. Scurvy can be diagnosed by physical examination, blood test, and biopsy.

Treatment

1. 1. Rickets can be treated with diet changes, taking daily vitamin D supplement, exposing to sunlight and surgery.
   2. Scurvy can be treated with diet changes and taking daily vitamin c supplement.

The following table summarizes the difference between rickets and scurvy.

Summary – Rickets vs Scurvy

Deficiency diseases are diseases that are caused by a prolonged lack of certain essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Rickets and scurvy are two deficiency diseases due to the lack of two very important vitamins. Rickets is due to vitamin D deficiency, while scurvy is due to vitamin C deficiency. Rickets is mainly seen in children, whereas scurvy is mainly seen in children, babies, and older adults. This is the summary of the difference between rickets and scurvy.

FAQ: Rickets and Scurvy

1. What are the main symptoms of rickets?

1. 1. • Pain or tenderness in the bones of the arms, legs, pelvis, or spine, stunted growth and short stature, bend bones, bone fractures, muscle cramps, teeth deformities and skeletal deformities are the main symptoms of rickets.

2. How to identify rickets in babies?

1. 1. • Rickets can be identified by physical evaluation of skeletal deformities such as thickening of the ankles, wrists and knees, bowed legs, soft skull bones, bending of the spine, dental problems like weak tooth enamel, delay in teeth coming through, increased risk of cavities, and blood tests.

3. How can rickets be treated?

1. 1. • Rickets is caused by a vitamin D and calcium deficiency. It is usually treated by increasing the intake of vitamin D and calcium. Vitamin D and calcium levels can be increased by eating more foods that are rich in calcium and vitamin D and taking calcium and vitamin D supplements daily.

4. What are the main symptoms of scurvy?

1. 1. • The main symptoms of scurvy are feeling irritable and sad all the time, joint, muscle or leg pain, swollen, bleeding gums, teeth falling out, developing red or blue spots on the skin, especially on the legs and feet.

5. Why did sailors get scurvy?

1. 1. • Scurvy is a disease caused by a Vitamin C deficiency that plagued sailors for hundreds of years. Old-time sailors got scurvy because their rations did not include much of any citrus fruits and they ran out of fresh fruits and vegetables pretty soon in long voyages.

Reference:

1. “Rickets: Definition, Symptoms, Causes & Treatment.” Cleveland Clinic.
2. Annabelle Schattmann a, et al. “Approaches to Co-Occurrence: Scurvy and Rickets in Infants and Young Children of 16–18th Century Douai, France.” International Journal of Paleopathology, Elsevier.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Before and after photographs for therapy for rickets Wellcome L0074524” By Welcome Image Gallery  (CC BY 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “38 year old man suffering from scurvy. Baumgartner, 1929 Wellcome L0074309” By Welcome Image Gallery (CC BY 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia

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