Scurvy in a Pediatric Patient Presenting With Leg Pain: A Case Report
Case: A 3-year-old previously healthy girl presented with persistent leg pain following conservative treatment of a nondisplaced distal femur fracture and was found to have symptomatic scurvy and multinutrient deficiency secondary to food selectivity. Following nutritional repletion and iron supplementation, the patient experienced full resolution of symptoms with return to normal activities without residual musculoskeletal complaints. Conclusion: This case demonstrates the importance of considering systemic and nutritional conditions, particularly vitamin C deficiency (scurvy), when evaluating patients with persistent musculoskeletal complaints. Early recognition may enable timely medical treatment of these often-reversible conditions.
Authors
- Miles Batty
- Andrea S. Bauer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7919-0497)
- Kristen Reikersdorfer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0269-1218)
- David Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1279-9580)
- Lauren McClelland
Institutions
- Boston Children's Hospital (US)
- Harvard University (US)
- Boston Children's Museum (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- JBJS Journal of Orthopaedics for Physician Assistants
- Published
- 2026-01-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.2106/jbjs.jopa.25.00017
- Primary Topic
- Vitamin C and Antioxidants Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00