The patient was a 64-year-old woman who presented with a purpuric rash of the lower limbs, the abdomen and to a lesser extent the upper limbs. The only risk factor in this woman was chronic rather severe alcohol abuse. As she was from a privileged socio-economic and cultural background, the initial appraisal did not consider malnutrition with vitamin deficiency. Nonetheless a blood test revealed the total absence of vitamin Cm the blood. The vasculitis was therefore secondary to scurvy. The vitamin C deficiency could only be explained by extreme malnutrition, secondary to severe alcohol abuse and a diet completely devoid of fresh fruit and vegetables.
