title: An apple a day ... chronic glossitis in a 4-year-old boy.
abstract: We report a case of chronic glossitis in a 4-year-old boy due to scurvy. The boy showed up in our department with a patchy depapillated tongue. A detailed dietary history revealed an unbalanced diet without any fruit or vegetable. The biological investigations showed a low serum ascorbic acid. The boy was treated by oral ascorbic acid during 15 days. The glossitis improved within one week and serum levels of vitamin C returned to the normal range. In industrial countries, scurvy became a rare disease in healthy children. However, since a few years, cases are reported in children and teenagers with unbalanced diet coming from economically favoured families. These extreme cases are one of the signs of a more general deterioration of dietary habits in paediatric populations in our societies. This emphasizes the importance of effective nutritional education programs aimed towards both parents and children.
authors: EA 3999 "Allergy Diseases: Diagnosis & Therapeutics", Department of Internal Medicine, Clinical Immunology and Allergology, University Hospital of Nancy, Nancy, France.
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Codreanu
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Jarlot
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Astier
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Tisserand
authors: Z
authors: Z
authors: Asbati
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Hatahet
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Sergeant
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Kanny
mesh_terms: D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005928:Glossitis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012614:Scurvy / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D014815:Vitamins / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D014815:Vitamins; D001205:Ascorbic Acid