VICTORIAN DISEASES WE JUST CAN’T SHAKE

Gout

The most common form of inflammatory arthritis, gout was once considered the mark of portglugging privilege, but no longer. It’s now thought to affect more than 1.5million people in the UK, and rising. It is caused by a build-up of uric acid, which can turn into crystals that lodge in toe and finger joints, causing swelling.

Scurvy

Once called the “scourge of the sea”, the rise in scurvy cases is thought to be caused by children not getting their five a day. Without the vitamin C provided by fruit and vegetables, aching bones, scaly skin, dry hair and easy bruising can occur.

Rickets

So associated with Victorians that people called it the “English disease”, the symptoms include stunted growth and bone deformity, due to a lack of sunshine – or vitamin D. It has been on a gradual rise for decades in the UK, and is variously ascribed to children not playing outdoors, cloudier summers and sunscreen.

Tuberculosis

There has been a steady rise in cases over the past 20 years, particularly in London, where it’s thought there are a few thousand cases annually. TB affects the lungs before spreading to other organs. Symptoms are a bloody cough, fever, fatigue and weight loss, and it’s spread by sneezing and coughing.

Whooping cough

Also known as “pertussis”, whooping cough is caused by a bacterial infection of the lining of the airways, and tends to affect babies and children more than adults. It is highly infectious and potentially deadly, as a hacking cough can turn into pneumonia or brain damage. An Australian study in 2014 suggested the vaccine used for decades to protect against the disease may have bred an evolved strain.