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| last from the past: diseases like gout and scurvy are making a comeback |
GOUT is a form of arthritis that leads to painful and severe inflammation and swelling in the joints, most commonly the toes.
It is caused by a build-up of tiny crystals of uric acid, a waste product of the body that is usually expelled in normal quantities.
But in the past five years cases of gout have increased by an astonishing 60.5 per cent.
From August 2010 to July 2011 there were just over 65,000 hospital admissions in the UK for the painful condition, compared with nearly 105,000 in the same period in 2014/15.
Linked to overindulgence in rich foods and alcohol, historically it was dubbed “the disease of kings”.
It famously afflicted Henry VIII and other regal bon viveurs and, although it is still most common in men and the over-60s, since 2012 the number of people in their 20s and 30s who have been affected has increased by 30 per cent.
Experts suggest the increase is likely to reflect rising obesity levels, with two thirds of adults now obese or overweight, as well as an ageing population and one that is drinking more alcohol as well as eating more junk food.
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| King Henry VIII had a number of painful diseases including gout |
“Gout is on the rise and is no longer confined to wealthy Victorians. It affects rich and poor alike,” says Professor John Ashton, president of the Faculty of Public Health, who is calling for a tax on sugar, with funds used to improve child health.
Gout can be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs and steroids but the best approach is prevention.
Avoid offal, game and stout and choose low-fat dairy foods as well as fruits such as blueberries and raspberries.
Exercise helps, as does a daily 500mg vitamin C supplement to increase the amount of uric acid secreted in urine.
Schoolchildren are often taught that scurvy is the disease of pirates or children living in the Victorian slums without access to fresh fruit including oranges but there were 113 cases in the past year compared with 82 hospital admissions five years earlier.
Scurvy leads to swollen gums which become soft and vulnerable to bleeding. Teeth may feel loose or fall out. It also leads to shortness of breath, jaundice and severe joint pain caused by bleeding inside the joints.
in severe cases it can lead to potentially fatal heart problems.
Symptoms start three months after a person stops getting enough vitamin C in their diet.
NHS statistics show that nearly 7,500 people were admitted to hospital with malnutrition – unplanned weight loss caused by insufficient nutrition – in the past 12 months, a rise of more than 50 per cent in just four years.
Worringly hospitals are reporting increased admissions of malnourished elderly people coming from care homes, as well as from their own homes.
However Chris Mould, chairman of the Trussell Trust which runs a nationwide network of food banks, says that increased food costs and cuts to benefits are affecting people of all ages.
“We meet families from across the UK struggling to put enough food on the table. At the extreme end you get people who are malnourished,” he said.
“We often see parents who are going without food so they can feed their children.”
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| Citrus fruits are a source of vitamin C which prevents scurvy |
Another disease rife in Victorian times that has been on the increase during the past five years is scarlet fever.
Between September 2013 and March 2014 there were 2,830 cases, compared with 5,746 cases for the same period in 2014/15.
But the reason for the recent increase is unclear. The infectious bacterial disease causes a high fever and a bright pink rash that can be treated with antibiotics.
More cases of whooping cough, a highly contagious bacterial infection of the lungs and airways, have been reported this year than at any time in the past five.
In 2014/15 there were 369 cases compared with 272 in 2010/11. It begins with a persistent cough that progresses to intense bouts of coughing.
The gasping for breath after one of these bouts causes the distinctive “whooping” noise.
The coughing can last three months, hence the condition being known as “the hundred-day cough”.
It is spread by infected droplets in the air and can be treated with antibiotics but people remain infectious from six days after exposure to the bacteria until three weeks after the cough begins.
Another disease that is on the increase in the UK is the waterborne disease cholera, which was extremely prevalent in the 19th century when it caused nearly 40,000 deaths.
In 2014/15 there were 36 cases, compared with just four in 2009/10.
“Something like cholera is a canary in the coal mine,” says Prof Ashton.
“It’s almost certainly imported from elsewhere and it is a reminder of the global dependency when it comes to the health and the movement of disease from one country to another.”
The bacterial infection is caused by drinking contaminated water or by eating food that has been in contact with contaminated water.
It leads to severe diarrhoea, sickness and stomach cramps. Without treatment this combination can cause severe dehydration and can be fatal.
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| Cholera is caused by contaminated water sources and is normally found in the developing world |
TB (also known in Victorian times as consumption) can be traced back 6,000 years and at its height killed one in four people in the UK.
While the lung disease was almost eradicated in Britain in the 1980s there has been a dramatic rise in cases recently, particularly in parts of London that now have higher rates of TB than developing countries including Rwanda and Eritrea.
Today the bacterial infection, which is spread from person to person via airborne droplets and can permanently damage the lungs, costs the NHS £40million.
It is most prevalent among people with weakened immune systems and can usually be cured by a course of antibiotics if spotted early enough.
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| TB used to kill 1 in 4 people in the UK |
Once a major childhood illness, leading to bone deformities such as bowed legs and a curved spine, rickets was more or less eradicated after the Second World War but children are again at risk because of their sedentary lifestyles.
An estimated 40 per cent of children have vitamin D levels below the recommended amount.
In 2012/13 there were 833 hospital admissions for children suffering from the condition.
The disease is caused by a deficiency of vitamin D, which is absorbed from sunlight but children are spending less time than ever playing outside.
The overuse of sunscreen by parents concerned about the risk of skin cancer also stops the vitamin being absorbed.
There are now calls for all children under the age of four to receive free vitamin supplements after a pilot scheme in Birmingham halved the number of cases of rickets and other deficiency problems.
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