Health Advice

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Head Lice – Help!!!

Every parent’s heart sinks when they receive the dreaded note from school warning about head lice. Don’t worry – Jane Brennan from Brennan’s Life Pharmacy in Donabate is here to to give us advice and tips. The first thing to do is to check the child’s head. You will need some tea tree conditioner, a... Read more >

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Are You SunSmart?

We ask Jane Brennan from Brennan’s Life Pharmacy Donabate how to make the most of great sunny summer days whilst protecting our skin from harmful rays. Jane says “The Irish Cancer Society SunSmart program has great guidelines to keep us safe. See below for some useful tips and advice” Ways to protect your skin: Shade... Read more >

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Pollen Highs & Watery Eyes

Pollen Highs & Watery Eyes… Talk to Jane Brennan, your Hay Fever Expert in Donabate Are your eyes itchy, red or watery? Is your throat scratchy? Are you sneezing? Do you have itchy ears, nose or mouth? Do you have a blocked or runny nose? Do you wake up feeling exhausted? Hay fever can cause... Read more >

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Life Pharmacy Ireland – Live Better

Bringing you the best health advice for your family

NHS Choices - Symptoms of scurvy

(02/03/2015)

The symptoms of scurvy usually begin three months after a person stops getting enough vitamin C in their diet.

In adults, the initial symptoms of scurvy include:

  • feeling very tired and weak all the time (fatigue)
  • a general sense of feeling "out of sorts" such as feeling irritable and miserable all the time
  • pain in your limbs particularly your legs 
  • the appearance of small red-blue spots on your skin

The spots develop where individual hairs grow out of the skin (hair follicles), and they often occur on the shins. Hairs in affected areas usually twist around like corkscrews and break away easily. Without treatment, the spots can grow and merge to create large dark patches on your skin.

Other symptoms then follow, including:

  • swollen gums which become soft and vulnerable to bleeding (your teeth may feel loose or fall out)
  • severe joint pain, caused by bleeding inside the joints
  • shortness of breath particularly after periods of physical activity
  • redness and swelling in recently healed wounds (new wounds may also fail to heal)
  • easily bruised skin

Left untreated, scurvy can cause jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes), oedema (swelling caused by a build-up of fluid) and potentially fatal heart problems.

Scurvy in infants

In infants, the initial symptoms of scurvy include:

  • lack of appetite
  • irritability
  • poor weight gain
  • diarrhoea
  • high temperature (fever) of 38C (100.4F) or above

As the condition progresses, additional symptoms include:

  • pain and tenderness in the legs which is often severe and can make a young child very upset when they're having their nappy changed
  • as with adults, the appearance of reddish-bluish spots on the skin
  • the eyes bulging outwards
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