Doctors in La Ronge, Sask., have treated 27 cases of scurvy within the last six months, bringing to light the severe impact of food insecurity in the province’s north.
When the first case was found, Lac La Ronge Indian Band hired northern medical services’ Dr. Jefferey Irvine to chair an investigation into vitamin C deficiency among members and the wider community.
Irvine confirmed to Global News that of 50 vitamin C blood tests, 27 were confirmed to be deficient, pointing to scurvy, and 10 showed low levels. All patients were over 20 years old and 79 per cent were Indigenous.
Scurvy symptoms vary from fatigue and joint pain to hair changes, wounds not healing and loss of teeth.
When hearing about the uptick in cases, the Saskatoon Food Bank said it’s unfortunate we are still talking about scurvy in 2024.
“We are always trying to provide the most nutritious food possible, of course, but I think we have a much bigger issue in our province and in our country if we are already talking about those kinds of numbers suffering from Scurvy,” said Laurie O’Conner, executive director of the Saskatoon Food Bank.
Scurvy is caused by vitamin C deficiency, and is typically due to not eating enough fruits and vegetables.
Left untreated, scurvy can lead to bleeding gums, bleeding under the skin and loose teeth.
Treatment includes getting plenty of vitamin C in your diet and dietary supplements.
Despite scurvy’s rarity in modern medicine, the La Ronge diagnoses aligned with findings from a recent First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment survey, which revealed 42 per cent of respondents couldn’t afford balanced meals. A 2022 Saskatchewan Health Authority report noted the average weekly cost of nutritious food for a family of four was about $291, rising to $358 in the north and $464 in the far north.
Fresh produce is hard to come by in the La Ronge area, and foraging for it has seasonal limitations.
For local retailers, coordinating a delivery of fresh food isn’t usually worth the minimal profit. The long travel distance leads to spoilage and fuel costs increase the consumer price.
Traditional foods like rosehip, Labrador tea, spruce needles, fireweed and mint have higher levels of vitamin C. Moderate amounts can be found in animal heart, liver and kidneys. But obtaining those foods is weather-dependent.
Further north, the problem intensifies, and the solution for many is out of reach. The more pressing issue is the ongoing stress of meeting basic needs, including stable housing.
“You can’t be talking to people about healthy eating when they don’t have a place to live,” Irvine said.
In assessing how widespread the problem is, the test for scurvy suffers from similar challenges to food transport.
Samples must be kept in darkness at temperatures below -70 C and, because of limited lab capabilities in La Ronge, they are shipped on dry ice to a lab in Regina for testing.
In the far north, these requirements present too large of a logistical hurdle, meaning blood drawing can only happen in La Ronge.
The doctors aim to obtain federal funding to get a more detailed picture of scurvy’s impacts. Irvine hopes to partner with other doctors in Saskatchewan and share their findings nationally.
— with files from the Canadian Press’ Glynn Brothen