Warning as cost of living crisis ‘sparks return of Victorian illnesses’ like scurvy and rickets
VICTORIAN diseases such as scurvy and rickets are making a comeback because of the cost-of-living crisis, experts have warned.
Both conditions are the result of malnutrition and have, until now, been largel eradicated in the western world.
But new figures suggest that cases of deadly condition have doubled over the last decade and quadrupled since 2007/8.
From 2022 to April 2023, almost 11,000 Brits – a third of which were children – were hospitalised with the deadly condition.
The data also revealed 171 people were treated for scurvy and 482 patients were admitted with rickets, 405 of them children.
The cost-of-living is believed to be driving this surge in cases, as parents struggle to afford fruit and veg and are instead forced to buy cheaper cheaper junk food, which lacks vital vitamins and minerals.
A Freedom of Information request from The Times Health Commission shows that 10,896 NHS patients in England were hospitalised with malnutrition in the year to April 2023.
Malnutrition is a serious condition that happens when your diet does not contain the right amount of nutrients, the NHS says.
Dr Clare Gerada, president of the Royal College of GPs, told The Times, “We’re going back to a situation where unless we look after our poor, we’re going to end up with more of these diseases of the Victorian era”.
Both diseases disappeared from Britain in the 1950s, when the country embarked on mass programmes to fortify common foods with key vitamins.
“We won’t end up like the Victorians because it’ll all be sorted by a tablet but it’s a sad environment that we have to sort out poverty by giving out vitamin supplements,” she added.
The GP, who is based in south London, added: “If this is indicative of the health of our most vulnerable, then it is shocking.
“The poorest people in this country are poorer than any other counterparts in Europe… and it’s poor diet.”
It is unclear the age of the hospitalised malnutrition patients or where in the country they are.
But the GP believed the surge in curvy admissions could be indicative of the inadequate “tea and toast” diet of the elderly population unable to afford fresh fruits and vegetables.
She said the soaring obesity rates could be another indicator of malnutrition.
Most children who are obese more likely to be vitamin D deficient “because they’re not getting the right calories”, she explained.
Several other diseases and health conditions that were common during the Victorian era re-emerged in the UK this year.
In April, experts are warning a sudden drop in vaccine uptake, post Covid, could be behind the surge in some of these Dickensian illnesses.
This includes scabies, diphtheria, measles, tuberculosis and syphilis.
What is scurvy?
Scurvy is a disease that’s caused by a deficiency in vitamin C, which is rare in the developed world.
It’s known for being the disease of pirates and sailors.
While out at sea for long periods of time, seamen and pirates would run out of citrus fruits and develop the condition.
While very treatable with some fresh fruit and veg, it can become deadly if left for too long.
According to the NHS, symptoms of the condition include feel very tired, weak, irritable, sad, suffering from severe joint page, swollen and bleeding gums and having skin that bruises easily.
What is rickets?
Rickets is a condition which affects the bone development of children.
It’s usually caused by poor diet and a lack of exposure to sunlight.
A lack of vitamin D and calcium is the most common cause.
It can leave the bones weaker and softer than normal meaning they are more susceptible to deformities, such as bowed legs or curvature of the spine, the NHS says.
Other symptoms of the condition include bone pain and dental problems.