Scurvy in a hemodialysis patient. Rare or ignored?

Abstract

Chronic kidney disease and dialysis brings with it a plethora of complications, including malnutrition. Strict dietary restrictions in hemodialysis (HD) patients further complicate the picture as it increases the risk of deficiency of micronutrients, specifically water-soluble vitamins. Today, there is a lack of concrete guidelines concerning recommendations on vitamin supplementation in HD patients. This lack of data is partly due to our incomplete understanding of handling of vitamins in a uremic state. There is a dire need for more data on the impact of dialysis and uremic state on water-soluble vitamins to facilitate appropriate preventative supplementation. We present a case of scurvy in a HD patient that will contribute toward the understanding of vitamin status in HD. We hope it will aid in screening HD patients for vitamin C deficiency and individualizing supplementation of vitamin C.