- Cases of rickets have increased by 39 per cent since 2009/10, figures show
- Recorded instances of gout have jumped by 41 per cent in the same time frame
- Syphilis infections have nearly doubled in the same time, statistics reveal
- While cases of scarlet fever have also increased by 198 per cent in eight years
Stephen Matthews For Mailonline
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Cases of rickets, made famous by Tiny Tim in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, have increased by 39 per cent since 2009/10
Poor lifestyles are causing a rise of diseases linked to the Victorian era in Britain, experts warn.
A fall in living standards and growing financial inequality are behind a rise in cases of rickets, gout and scarlet fever.
Cases of the former, made famous by Tiny Tim in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, have increased by 39 per cent since 2009/10.
The disease, which can be caused by a vitamin D deficiency, leaves sufferers with brittle bones and deformities.
Despite being common in 19th century Britain, it was all but wiped out by ongoing improvements in nutrition.
It is thought that a fear of contracting skin cancer could be making parents too cautious and be partly responsible for the upsurge in rickets.
The body produces vitamin D when it is exposed to the sun and it can also be obtained by eating foods such as oily fish, eggs and liver.
In January, a think-tank warned that rising inflation meant poor families were unable to afford nutritious foods to stop the onslaught of the disease.
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Figures also showed that cases of gout have increased by 41 per cent in the same time frame, from 6,908 to 9,708, The Sun reports.
The form of arthritis leads caused by a build-up of uric acid, a waste product of the body, famously afflicted Henry VIII and was rife in the Victorian era.
But an ‘obesity epidemic’ and ageing population is behind the rise in recent times, the UK Gout Society said.
A fall in living standards, growing financial inequality and poor diets are behind a rise in cases of rickets, gout and scarlet fever
THE 4 VICTORIAN DISEASES
Rickets
2009/10: 675
2015/16: 937
Gout
2009/10: 6,908
2015/16: 9,708
Syphilis
2009/10: 2,646
2015/16: 5,217
Scarlet fever
2009/10: 381
2015/16: 1,135
Rising numbers of people having unprotected sex have also been blamed for an increase in cases of syphilis.
Once a death sentence, the vast majority of those infected are today curable with penicillin injections.
But figures for the STI have nearly doubled in the past eight years, from 2,646 to 5,217, according to Public Health England.
Cases of scarlet fever have also jumped by 198 per cent since 2009/10, the data shows.
The highly contagious disease causes a sore throat, fever and rash which can occasionally lead to pneumonia if not treated promptly.
If treated promptly the disease is restricted to no more than unpleasant symptoms, although in Victorian times it could be a death sentence.
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