A six-year-old boy from Queensland, Australia, died from scurvy, a disease so rare it has barely been seen in over 200 years. Connor Dean died on August 10, 2024, at the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane, where doctors were left baffled by his condition.
A coroner found that Connor died of a heart attack associated with a severe vitamin C deficiency consistent with scurvy. Deputy state coroner Stephanie Gallagher said: “I am of the view that, publishing these findings may be sufficient mechanism to draw attention to this death so as to prevent death in similar circumstances happening in the future”.
What is scurvy?
Scurvy was a common disease up until the 19th century. It was caused due to the lack of availability of vitamin C rich foods and was very common among sailors on long voyages. The condition breaks down blood vessels, tissues and organs and can lead to death due to infection and internal bleeding.
Connor had Down syndrome and a heart defect, with slow developmental progress meaning he spoke mostly only using single words. On July 11, 2024, he was taken to the doctor after he began suffering from symptoms including knee pain, a shuffling gait and limping, all thought to be related to a fall in the playground.
Medical journey and diagnosis
When there was no improvement, he was admitted to Queensland Children’s Hospital for X-rays and an MRI scan. These showed no other obvious abnormalities, but he was diagnosed with para-influenza. Connor's mum said he was taking a multivitamin and his vaccinations were up to date.
His condition gradually worsened and on one occasion he had to be resuscitated. It was thought that Connor could be suffering from Leukaemia, but this was quickly ruled out. By the end of July, Connor was showing symptoms of renal disease, multi-organ failure and sepsis. It was at this point that scurvy became the most likely condition to unite all of Connor’s symptoms, which could have explained his earlier heart attack. Connor died in early August after all invasive treatments were stopped.
Dietary concerns raised
The coroner was told by Connor's doctor that he had “long standing concerns” about the boy’s growth and height, noting that the boy was partially fed by gastric tube until February 2020. Up until June 2022 he ate a variety of foods according to his mother, but by May 2023 he was branded by a paediatrician as a “very fussy” eater.
The coroner heard he essentially had no fruits or vegetables in his diet. The paediatrician observed he had gained just 300g in 11 months. He said: “I told his mother that I was very concerned about Connor’s diet, specifically that it did not contain enough calories or the vitamins and minerals he needed to grow and be healthy.”
It was suggested that Connor take a specific multivitamin supplement which came in gummy form. The doctor noted that when he saw Connor in late 2023, “his diet was still very poor with lots of white bread, some beef sausage, custard and chocolate. He was being offered vegetables at daycare but I don’t believe he was eating them. He was drinking apple and blackcurrant 100 per cent juice poppers which would contain vitamin C.”
The multivitamin Connor was taking did contain “small amounts” of vitamin C but it wasn’t the supplement he had recommended. The doctor added: “I discussed with Connor’s mother that Connor’s diet was inadequate to meet his vitamin and mineral requirements but that I believed that we were covering these requirements with the multivitamin, vitamin D3, Ferroliquid and vitamin A injection”.
When Connor was admitted to hospital he was taking the multivitamin the doctor recommended, however the doctor noticed it contained no vitamin C. The doctor expressed his concern that a product labelled as a multivitamin could be sold if it was lacking in vitamin C. However, the manufacturer of the multivitamin said the vitamins in the product were all clearly listed.
Family's response and context
Connor's parents confirmed he was a “very fussy eater” from about four-and-a-half years old. He was given multivitamins, iron and vitamin A injections – as instructed – but they said they did not realise he had a specific vitamin C deficiency until it was too late.
The disease used to be common when sailors reached Australia due to a lack of fresh food during winter, but the year-round availability of fresh produce and vitamin C supplements was thought to have wiped out the condition. Some Australians do still have vitamin C deficiencies but scurvy is almost unheard of these days.
