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Boy's Death Linked to 'Sailor's Disease'
3 Sep
Summary
- A child died from scurvy, a disease typically seen in historical eras.
- Medical scans revealed bone changes consistent with scurvy.
- A multivitamin used by the family was found to lack vitamin C.
A tragic case in Australia has highlighted the dangers of severe vitamin C deficiency, leading to the death of a six-year-old boy identified as Connor Dean. The deputy state coroner ruled that brain damage, triggered by a cardiac arrest under general anaesthetic in 2024, was most likely caused by scurvy, a condition historically associated with sailors and convicts due to lack of fresh produce.
Scans of Connor's skeleton showed bone changes consistent with scurvy, and blood tests revealed critically low vitamin C levels. He also exhibited deficiencies in other vitamins. His paediatrician expressed concerns about his growth and extremely fussy eating habits, noting his diet contained no fruits or vegetables. He had been prescribed multivitamins.
During his final hospital admission in July 2024, doctors discovered the multivitamin the family was using did not contain vitamin C. The paediatrician opined that Connor would not have suffered from vitamin C deficiency if he had been taking a complete multivitamin. The manufacturer of the product rejected claims of responsibility. The coroner concluded there was insufficient evidence to link the multivitamin directly but emphasized the critical failure to detect Connor's severe vitamin C deficiency in a timely manner.
