Scurvy, a disease of dietary ascorbic acid deficiency, is uncommon today. It is occasionally described in individuals with restrictive nutrition due to psychiatric neuromuscular or developmental disorders, traditional habits, malabsorbtion syndromes or dietary deficiency. Because of its rarity, varied clinical presentation and low index of suspicion on the part of the treating physician, it is frequently missed, delayed or misdiagnosed. In recent years, its diagnosis has been confused with osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, acute rheumatic fever, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, domestic violence/child abuse, complex regional pain syndrome, vasculitis, neuroblastoma etc. We describe a case of advance scurvy in a 6-year-old child with feeding difficulties mimicking a bone tumour of the distal end of the femur.
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