Researchers diagnose 27 cases of scurvy in northern Sask. community

The discovery of 27 cases of scurvy in a northern Saskatchewan community is raising concerns about grocery prices and access to fresh food as income inequality worsens.

Earlier this year, a doctor in La Ronge had a hunch that a patient was suffering from scurvy, a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency. The test came back positive and it raised questions about the prevalence of scurvy in the community.

The Lac La Ronge Indian Band partnered with Dr. Jeff Irvine and the Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority to investigate. Irvine is a physician in La Ronge and works with Northern Medical Services, an off-shoot of the University of Saskatchewan college of medicine.

They tested 51 blood samples — all but one taken in 2023 or 2024 — and found 27 cases of low or undetectable levels of vitamin C. These results were followed with a physical exam, which confirmed a scurvy diagnosis in all 27 cases. Patient ages range from 20-80, and 79 per cent are Indigenous.