A 40 year old female patient complains of sore gums, loose teeth and weakness. Patient gives history of delayed wound healing. Lab investigations reveal Hb was 8 gm%. This patient may be suffering from deficiency of:

The deficiency of ascorbic acid results in scurvy. This disease is characterized by spongy and sore gums, loose teeth, anemia, swollen joints, fragile blood vessels, decreased immunocompetence, delayed wound healing, sluggish hormonal function of adrenal cortex and gonads, hemorrhage, osteoporosis etc. Most of these symptoms are related to impairment in the synthesis of collagen and/or the antioxidant property of Vitamin C. Satyanarayana- Biochemistry, 3rd edition, pg-134