Gastroesophageal reflux and ascorbic acid insufficiency.

The incidental discovery of scurvy in a patient with a symptomatic hiatal hernia has led to the identification of 9 other individuals with chemically proved vitamin C deficiency secondary to an expressed aversion to "acid" food in any form. These patients were screened with capillary fragility tests and serum ascorbic acid determinations from approximately 200 hiatal hernia and reflux patients. With resumption of a normal vitamin C intake, scattered deficiency symptoms disappeared and both capillary fragility tests and serum ascorbic acid levels returned toward normal. There were no wound healing problems.