Honours project

Vitamin C status in hospital patients

Supervisor: Dr G Wilcom
Site: Monash Medical Centre Clayton

Outline

Scorbutic levels of vitamin C are commonly found in sick patients on, or during hospital admission. Early changes associated with vitamin C deficiency include mental changes. Depression is common in hospital patients.

We plan to assess vitamin C status by food intake, and biochemistry, and assess levels of clinical depression by questionnaire before and after supplementation, in a double-blind manner, to see whether or not treatment of inpatient depression should be accompanied by treatment with vitamin C.