People who are lacking in Vitamin C may experience symptoms or condition that are uncomfortable. In severe cases, vitamin C deficiency caused the condition of scurvy. Before getting severely deficient, look for these signs for Vitamin C deficiency:

Signs or Symptoms of Vitamin C Deficiency

The 5 most common signs and symptoms of vitamin C deficiency are:

1. Bleeding Gums or Thrush

Have you ever experienced bleeding gums or canker sores? If so, you may have a vitamin C deficiency. Vitamin C helps with keeping blood vessels healthy, and it helps blood clot. Vitamin C also support the production of collagen which is important for healthy teeth and gums.

2. Wounds take a long time to heal

When you are wounded, the levels of vitamin C in your blood and tissues drop while the body needs it to make collagen, a protein that plays a role in every stage of skin repair. Vitamin C also helps neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that fights infection, to work optimally.

3. Skin becomes dry and rough

Vitamin C functions to maintain healthy skin from exposure to UV rays. It is possible that dry and rough skin due to sun exposure occurs because the body does not have enough vitamin C to defend. In addition, deficiency of this vitamin can cause skin redness after exposure to UV rays.

4. Getting ill easily, low immunity

As vitamin C is vital in its support for boosting the immune system, it is not surprising that you will get sick easily and may have a longer recovery period if you are deficient in Vitamin C. There is even some evidence that vitamin C can help protect against some diseases such as pneumonia, bladder infections, and possibly heart disease and some cancers.

5. Scurvy

If a person is acutely deficient in vitamin C from a strict diet or not eating enough fruits and vegetables, they may have scurvy. Scurvy may cause joint pain problems, brittle bones, wavy nails, and hair loss. If left untreated, scurvy has the potential to lead to diseases such as heart disease. Increasing the intake of vitamin C would improve symptoms within a relatively short time. Sign of improvement may be evident within a day and recovery can be obtained within 3 months.

How to meet your need of vitamin C?

The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) stipulates that the daily requirement of vitamin C is 75 mg for women and 90 mg for adult men.

To treat Vitamin C deficiency, a supplement of Vitamin C can be given along with nutrients from food. Vitamin C is water soluble, so it is easily digested by the body. Therefore, you can consume it before or after meals.

However, make sure you consult a nutritionist before taking vitamin C supplements to get the right dose. It should also be noted that Vitamin C is not a superior vitamin element. Our bodies need a variety of other important vitamins and minerals. To prevent vitamin deficiencies, don't just prioritize one type of nutrient, you may take a multivitamin that contains 9 vitamins and 7 minerals.

Reference

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-c-deficiency-symptoms#TOC_TITLE_HDR_4