Boy, 8, died of scurvy in Wales

[Josy]

Boy, 8, died of scurvy after his parents thought he was 'only suffering from growing pains'

The parents of an eight-year-old boy thought he was suffering from 'growing pains' when he was actually dying of scurvy, an inquest has heard.

Dylan Seabridge collapsed at the family home in the remote village of Eglwyswrw in Pembrokeshire, west Wales in December 2011.

After his death it emerged he had the rare condition - almost unheard of in modern-day Britain - which is caused by a deficiency of vitamin C.


You can read the full article here

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2931534/Boy-8-died-scurvy-parents-thought-growing-pains.html

I know the boy died in 2011 but I assume we are only hearing of it now due to the inquest.

No one in this age should die of Scurvy fgs.

[Kazanne]

Boy, 8, died of scurvy after his parents thought he was 'only suffering from growing pains'



You can read the full article here

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2931534/Boy-8-died-scurvy-parents-thought-growing-pains.html

I know the boy died in 2011 but I assume we are only hearing of it now due to the inquest.

No one in this age should die of Scurvy fgs.

Is it down to parent neglect or is it a disease?

[Josy]

Is it down to parent neglect or is it a disease?

Scurvy itself is an illness from a long time ago caused by vitamin c deficiency due to not eating enough fruit and veg.

These parents were arrested at first for neglect but then the charges were dropped.

I honestly don't know why they would have put this illness down to 'growing pains' though, that sounds odd to me.

If they had sought medical advice then this poor kid would have had a good chance at recovering.

[Crimson Dynamo]

Look at the parents

They look 20 years older than their age, both have walking sticks and both are clinically obese.

I would wager the boys diet was awful

child neglect sadly it seems

[Vanessa]

They should have taken the kid to the doctor. :nono:

[Kazanne]

Scurvy itself is an illness from a long time ago caused by vitamin c deficiency due to not eating enough fruit and veg.

These parents were arrested at first for neglect but then the charges were dropped.

I honestly don't know why they would have put this illness down to 'growing pains' though, that sounds odd to me.

If they had sought medical advice then this poor kid would have had a good chance at recovering.

That's sad,poor kid,I always thought it was a skin condition and 'growing pains' a few aches and such in the legs,I am going to google it as it's always good to know about things.Does it have any outward signs?

[Niamh.]

That's sad,poor kid,I always thought it was a skin condition and 'growing pains' a few aches and such in the legs,I am going to google it as it's always good to know about things.Does it have any outward signs?

The first thing I think of when I hear the word scurvy is Pirates, I knew it was a Vit C deficiency but like you I thought (don't ask me why) that you'd break out in sores like scabbies

Poor kid though :(

[user104658]

Thing is, people end up giving their kids deficiencies whilst having the best intentions. It is HARD to get young children to eat fruit and veg - veg especially, fruit is at least sweet - and you can't (or shouldn't) force feed a child, ever. So, how do you make sure they get enough vitamin C? It's really quite easy. You let them drink plenty of fruit juice / "full sugar" diluting high juice. Kids will easily get enough Vit C if they're drinking juice.

But parents have it hammered home, by nurseries, schools, health visitors etc. that their kids should "only be drinking water or milk" because the acids / sugars in juice are "bad for their teeth" or "will make them fat". Which is nonsense - children will not get fat or have their teeth fall out from drinking juice instead of water, if they have a healthy diet and active lifestyle and take care of their teeth.

tl;dr - the authorities make problems like this worse by insisting that parents flush their kids through with plain water only, when liquids are in fact a VERY easy nutrient source for young children.

[user104658]

The first thing I think of when I hear the word scurvy is Pirates, I knew it was a Vit C deficiency but like you I thought (don't ask me why) that you'd break out in sores like scabbies

Fun factoid: the American term "Limey" for British people comes from the fact that ships coming from Britain often brought along crates of limes as a vitamin C source to stave off scurvey, because a "sea diet" (of non-perishables like grains and rice, plus fish fish and fish) will be lacking in Vit C.

[Niamh.]

Fun factoid: the American term "Limey" for British people comes from the fact that ships coming from Britain often brought along crates of limes as a vitamin C source to stave off scurvey, because a "sea diet" (of non-perishables like grains and rice, plus fish fish and fish) will be lacking in Vit C.

ahh very interesting TS :love:

[user104658]

Alsooo... not to hammer home "breast is best" again or anything... but improperly-stored powdered infant formula milk (kept somewhere too warm, which can even happen in transit in summer) can sometimes have its added vitamin C destroyed, resulting in a toddler / young child who has insufficient vitamin C reserves from the start, if they've frequently been getting "bad batch" formula...

[kirklancaster]

Is it down to parent neglect or is it a disease?

1,000% neglect Kaz, as far as I'm concerned. There are only 2 possible causes;
ignorance or neglect, and as the mother was intelligent enough to qualify and practice as an IT teacher, that would seem to preclude ignorance.

Low intelligence can mitigate not realising that something was clinically wrong with a child, as it can not being educated enough to differentiate between 'growing pains' and something more serious, but given the mother's - obvious - intelligence, then neglect can be the only possible cause.

I don't know how the obese twats escaped prosecution. Another poor innocent child has suffered immeasurably and died through no fault of his - that's all I fecking know.

[arista]

Its Very rare


"Remote Welsh village"
Did not help


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/01/29/252AE65400000578-2931534-The_parents_rejected_a_Home_Office_pathologist_s_c onclusion_that-a-13_1422546538094.jpg
the parents are to blame

[DemolitionRed]

When my brother was 7 he had a bone density test to see why he wasn't growing like he should be and that's when they discovered, not only could he not absorb Vitamin D but he had the onset of rickets. I remember how guilty my mum felt even though it wasn't her fault. Apparently rickets is on the up in the UK through our children having lack of sunlight and being lathered in maxim factor sun cream during the warmer months.

It sounds like this little boy had a condition that stopped him being able to absorb vitamin C. Very tragic news.

[kirklancaster]

When my brother was 7 he had a bone density test to see why he wasn't growing like he should be and that's when they discovered, not only could he not absorb Vitamin D but he had the onset of rickets. I remember how guilty my mum felt even though it wasn't her fault. Apparently rickets is on the up in the UK through our children having lack of sunlight and being lathered in maxim factor sun cream during the warmer months.

It sounds like this little boy had a condition that stopped him being able to absorb vitamin C. Very tragic news.

Without even knowing any further details, it is evident that your mum is not to blame for anything. She is neither guilty of ignorance nor neglect, because she obviously recognised that your brother was not 'growing like he should have been', and the fact that he underwent a 'bone density test' would suggest that your mum sought the correct medical advice, and acted accordingly to secure the correct diagnosis and - presumably - the proper remedial treatment.

Unlike the two whales in Wales.

[Kizzy]

Have to say even though I know there are conditions that stop you absorbing nutrients wouldn't this have flagged up concerns for the parents months before his heart gave up?
sickness, diarrhea, lethargy, swellings and bruising, excessive joint and muscle pain...
It just smacks as odd and really tragic if he wasn't home schooled this would've been picked up well beforehand.
And kids eat what you give them, if they are weaned on pureed broccoli, carrots or whatever it's not a chore to attempt to introduce them.
Personally I feel it's not just the quantity of fruit and veg though that is at fault in the main but the quality, I don't think that the vitamin content in the fresh foods we consume are as high as they were due to soil quality.