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The historic importance of vitamin C deficiency relates to occurrence on long sea-going voyages, when the ship food supplies had no good source of the vitamin. Deficiency results in scurvy when plasma concentrations fall below 0.2 mg/dL, whereas the normal plasma concentration range is 0.4 to 1.5 mg/dL.
Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, fatigue, and sore arms and legs. [1] [2] Without treatment, decreased red blood cells, gum disease, changes to hair, and bleeding from the skin may occur. [1] [3] As scurvy worsens, there can be poor wound healing, personality changes, and finally death from infection or bleeding. [2]
Timing is important to wound healing. Critically, the timing of wound re-epithelialization can decide the outcome of the healing. [11] If the epithelization of tissue over a denuded area is slow, a scar will form over many weeks, or months; [12] [13] If the epithelization of a wounded area is fast, the healing will result in regeneration.
Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. [11] [12] Specifically, it is a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients which adversely affects the body's tissues and form.
Tea and toast syndrome is a form of malnutrition commonly experienced by elderly people who cannot prepare meals and tend to themselves. The term is not intrinsic to tea or bread products only; rather, it describes limited dietary patterns that lead to reduced calories resulting in a deficiency of vitamins and other nutrients.
Research into hormones and wound healing has shown estrogen to speed wound healing in elderly humans and in animals that have had their ovaries removed, possibly by preventing excess neutrophils from entering the wound and releasing elastase. [26] Thus the use of estrogen is a future possibility for treating chronic wounds.
Vitamin C- Water-soluble vitamin that aids in keeping tissues healthy, wound healing, and infection prevention. [2] Vitamin D- Normally, the kidney changes vitamin D into its active form, vitamin D3, which helps with calcium absorption. Many dialysis patients have low intakes of calcium due to avoidance of foods containing phosphorus and potassium.
For example, a genetic condition that results in inadequate levels of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) can cause affected people to develop hemolytic anemia after using intravenous vitamin C treatment. [21] The G6PD deficiency test is a common laboratory test. Because oxalic acid is produced during metabolism of vitamin C ...