Nutritional rickets in Turkish and refugee children aged 0-2: an increasing problem despite vitamin D prophylaxis.

BACKGROUND: Nutritional rickets (NR) is still a major problem and is exacerbated by an increasing influx of immigrants. In this study, Turkish and immigrant cases followed with the diagnosis of NR in our pediatric endocrinology clinic were retrospectively evaluated. METHODS: Detailed data of cases diagnosed with NR between 2013 and 2020 and followed for at least six months were reviewed. RESULTS: In the study period, 77 cases of NR were identified. Turkish children constituted 76.6% (n=59) while 18 (23.4%) were immigrant children. The mean age at diagnosis was 8.1±7.8 months, 32.5% (n=25) were female, and 67.5% (n=52) were male. The 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 was below normal in all patients, with a mean value of 4.3±2.6 ng/mL. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) was above normal in all and the mean value was 301.7±139.3 pg/ mL. While there were 3.9 cases of NR in 10,000 endocrine clinic patients in 2013, this rate increased more than four-fold to 15.7 patients in 2019. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the vitamin D prophylaxis program in Türkiye, NR is seen significantly more frequently in recent years, which may be associated with an increasing number of refugees. High PTH levels indicate the severity of NR cases admitted to our clinic. However, clinically significant NR is only the tip of the iceberg and the true burden of subclinical rickets is unknown. Increasing compliance with the vitamin D supplementation program in refugee and Turkish children is important for the prevention of nutritional rickets.

Impact of a Prenatal Vitamin D Supplementation Program on Vitamin D Deficiency, Rickets and Early Childhood Caries in an Alaska Native Population.

Background: Early childhood rickets increased in Alaska Native children after decreases in vitamin D-rich subsistence diet in childbearing-aged women. We evaluated the impact of routine prenatal vitamin D supplementation initiated in Alaska's Yukon Kuskokwim Delta in Fall 2016. Methods: We queried electronic health records of prenatal women with 25(OH) vitamin D testing during the period 2015−2019. We evaluated 25(OH)D concentrations, vitamin D3 supplement refills, and decayed, missing, and filled teeth (dmft) scores and rickets in offspring. Results: Mean 25(OH)D concentrations increased 36.5% from pre- to post-supplementation; the percentage with deficient 25(OH)D decreased by 66.4%. Women with ≥ 60 vitamin D3 refill days had higher late pregnancy 25(OH)D concentrations than those with no refill days (p < 0.0001). Women with late pregnancy insufficient 25(OH)D concentrations had offspring with higher dmft scores than those with sufficient 25(OH)D (RR 1.3, p < 0.0001). Three children were diagnosed with nutritional rickets during the period 2001−2021, and none after 2017. Conclusions: These findings suggest that prenatal vitamin D supplementation can improve childhood outcomes in high-risk populations with high rates of rickets.

A major health problem facing immigrant children: nutritional rickets.

OBJECTIVES: Nutritional rickets (NR) is still an important problem and one which increasing influxes of immigrants are further exacerbating. This study evaluated cases of mostly immigrant children followed up with diagnoses of NR in our pediatric endocrinology clinic. METHODS: Details of 20 cases diagnosed with NR between 2017 and 2020 were retrieved from file records. RESULTS: Twenty (11 male) cases were included in the study. Three (15%) were Turkish nationals and the others (85%) were immigrants. Hypocalcemia and hypophosphatemia were detected in 17 and 13, respectively. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) values were normal in two cases, while ALP and parathyroid hormone (PTH) values were elevated in all other cases, and PTH levels were very high (473.64 ± 197.05 pg/mL). 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were below 20 ng/mL in all cases. Patients with NR received high-dose long-term vitamin D or stoss therapy. Six patients failed to attend long-term follow-up, while PTH and ALP levels and clinical findings improved at long-term follow-up in the other 14 cases. CONCLUSIONS: The elevated PTH levels suggest only the most severe cases of NR presented to our clinic. Clinically evident NR is therefore only the tip of the iceberg, and the true burden of subclinical rickets and osteomalacia remains unidentified. Public health policies should therefore focus on universal vitamin D supplementation and adequate dietary calcium provision, their integration into child surveillance programs, adequate advice and support to ensure normal nutrition, exposure to sunlight, and informing families of the increased risk not only for resident populations but also for refugee and immigrant children.

The Development of Rickets in Children and Nursing Contributions to Treatment.

Rickets is one of the most prevalent non-communicable diseases in children in the developing world. It is often found in cultures in which children follow strict vegetarian diets and are not exposed to vitamin D-enhanced foods. While a rare occurrence, X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets may be the most frequent type of the disease seen outside the Third World today. However, there is not much credible information on the extent of the development of rickets. Therefore, pediatric nurses must be able to recognize children at risk and provide best practice care for the prevention and treatment of rickets. When caring for children in hospitals, communities or classrooms, nurses play a vital role in identifying children at risk for hypovitaminosis D and advising families to, if possible, follow safe diets and take supplements in order to avoid health complications associated with low levels of vitamin D. This study examines the prevalence and variables contributing to rickets, including hypovitaminosis vitamin D, the consequent orthopedic problems and the role of nurses in preventing and managing the pathogenesis of rickets and ultimately avoiding extreme deficits that result in bone deformities and the need for corrective surgery.

Rickets Due to Severe Vitamin D and Calcium Deficiency During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Malaysia.

BACKGROUND Rickets is the deficiency in mineralization of the bone associated with lack of sunlight exposure and inadequate dietary calcium and/or vitamin D in children. Important efforts to eradicate rickets include appropriate sunlight exposure advice and fortification of food and milk with vitamin D. However, there is a growing concern that the current Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic will increase the incidence of rickets due to inadequate sunlight exposure resulting from movement restriction measures imposed by governments across the world. CASE REPORT A 22-month-old girl presented to our primary care clinic in Selangor, Malaysia with abnormal gait and bowing of the legs during the COVID-19 pandemic. She had a history of inadequate sun exposure as she lived in an apartment and there was a Movement Control Order in place because of the pandemic. Calcium intake was also poor as she could not tolerate formula milk and did not consume any other dairy products. Investigations revealed severe hypocalcemia and low vitamin D level. She was diagnosed with nutritional rickets and was referred for admission to correct the hypocalcemia. She was subsequently discharged with oral calcium and vitamin D supplementation. Her calcium and vitamin D levels improved and at her 6-month review, her bilateral bowed legs had improved significantly. CONCLUSIONS This case highlights the importance of having a high degree of suspicion for vitamin D deficiency and rickets in young children growing up during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health messages on preventing the spread of COVID-19 should also be interlaced with messages addressing the possible effects of our new norms such as inadequate sunlight exposure.

Vitamin D deficiency, supplementation and testing: have we got it right in New Zealand?

BACKGROUND: Severe prolonged vitamin D deficiency can cause rickets or osteomalacia. Both can be prevented by sunshine exposure or vitamin D supplementation. Although New Zealand guidance does not recommend vitamin D supplementation for the general population, it can be considered for individuals at risk of vitamin D deficiency. Routine measurement of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) is also considered unnecessary. METHODS: We investigated the rates of vitamin D supplementation, rickets and osteomalacia in New Zealand, and of 25OHD results in Auckland, over the last two decades. RESULTS: Vitamin D prescriptions increased 14-fold, from 86,295/year to 1,215,507/year, between 2003 and 2019, with medication costs alone in 2019 being >$1 million. Despite these changes, the annual prevalence of hospital admissions for rickets, osteomalacia and unspecified vitamin D deficiency remained low and stable (10-20/year). 25OHD concentrations increased between 2002 and 2003 and between 2009 and 2019, and in the later time-period, 25OHD tests mainly identified individuals without vitamin D deficiency (40-50% >75nmol/L, 65-70% >50nmol/L and only 7-12.5% <25nmol/L). CONCLUSIONS: Osteomalacia and rickets persist at low rates despite widespread, increasingly costly vitamin D supplementation and testing, which largely identifies individuals without vitamin D deficiency. These results suggest that vitamin D guidance and practice in New Zealand should change.

Case Report: Children with Severe Nutritional Rickets in the Naga Region in Northwest Myanmar, on the border with India.

Rickets is an often-neglected, painful, and disabling childhood condition of impaired bone mineralization. In this case series we describe a cluster of 29 children with severe, painful bone deformities who live in the very remote region of Nagaland in northwest Myanmar. Children were found to have low 25-hydroxyvitamin D, elevated parathyroid hormone, and elevated alkaline phosphatase levels, consistent with nutritional rickets secondary to vitamin D deficiency, calcium deficiency, or a combination of the two. After treatment with vitamin D3 and calcium carbonate, significant improvement was seen in symptoms, biochemistry, and radiography. This is the first report of nutritional rickets in Myanmar in more than 120 years. Vitamin D and calcium supplementation, and food fortification for pregnant women and young children may be required to prevent this potentially devastating disease.

Hypovitaminosis D in migrant children in Switzerland: a retrospective study.

Cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) is essentially known for its role in the phosphocalcic metabolism and its associated pathologies, such as rickets. In Switzerland, 35 to 50% of children are vitamin D deficient. Due to skin colour, poor nutrition, living conditions and cultural practices, migrant population is particularly at risk. Our aim is to attest the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in children arriving in Switzerland. We retrospectively assessed 528 children's vitamin D status and parathyroid hormone, phosphate and calcium levels between 2015 and 2018 by electrochemiluminescence and spectrophotometry. Cholecalciferol was considered insufficient under 50 nmol/L and severely deficient below 25 nmol/L. Seventy-three percent of children showed hypovitaminosis D and 28% had a severe deficiency. Highest prevalence of deficiency was found in children from Eastern Mediterranean (80%) and African regions (75%). Severe deficiency was more prevalent in the South East Asian (39%) and Eastern Mediterranean regions (33%) and more frequent in females. Deficiency was more frequent and more severe in winter. Hypovitaminosis D increased with age. Two children presented with all three biological manifestations associated to severe hypovitaminosis D (hyperparathyroidism, hypocalcaemia and hypophosphatemia).Conclusion: A majority of migrant children presented with hypovitaminosis D. They should be supplemented to prevent complications. A strategy could be to supplement all children at arrival and during wintertime without regular vitamin D level checks. What is Known: Hypovitaminosis D is frequent in children and can lead to bone-related complications. Migrant children are particularly at risk of deficiency. What is New: Three-quarters of migrant children evaluated at our migrant clinic in Geneva's children hospital are deficient in vitamin D, one third severely. A strategy to correct the deficiency would be to supplement all migrant children at arrival and in winter.

Vitamin D and Cardiovascular Disease: An Updated Narrative Review.

During the last two decades, the potential impact of vitamin D on the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been rigorously studied. Data regarding the effect of vitamin D on CVD risk are puzzling: observational data indicate an inverse nonlinear association between vitamin D status and CVD events, with the highest CVD risk at severe vitamin D deficiency; however, preclinical data and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) show several beneficial effects of vitamin D on the surrogate parameters of vascular and cardiac function. By contrast, Mendelian randomization studies and large RCTs in the general population and in patients with chronic kidney disease, a high-risk group for CVD events, largely report no significant beneficial effect of vitamin D treatment on CVD events. In patients with rickets and osteomalacia, cardiovascular complications are infrequently reported, except for an increased risk of heart failure. In conclusion, there is no strong evidence for beneficial vitamin D effects on CVD risk, either in the general population or in high-risk groups. Whether some subgroups such as individuals with severe vitamin D deficiency or a combination of low vitamin D status with specific gene variants and/or certain nutrition/lifestyle factors would benefit from vitamin D (metabolite) administration, remains to be studied.

Vitamin D for Growth and Rickets in Stunted Children: A Randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Vitamin D is essential for healthy development of bones, but little is known about the effects of supplementation in young stunted children. Our objective was to assess the effect of vitamin D supplementation on risk of rickets and linear growth among Afghan children. METHODS: In this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 3046 children ages 1 to 11 months from inner-city Kabul were randomly assigned to receive oral vitamin D3 (100 000 IU) or placebo every 3 months for 18 months. Rickets Severity Score was calculated by using wrist and knee radiographs for 631 randomly selected infants at 18 months, and rickets was defined as a score >1.5. Weight and length were measured at baseline and 18 months by using standard techniques, and z scores were calculated. RESULTS: Mean (95% confidence interval [CI]) serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (seasonally corrected) and dietary calcium intake were insufficient at 37 (35-39) nmol/L and 372 (327-418) mg/day, respectively. Prevalence of rickets was 5.5% (placebo) and 5.3% (vitamin D): odds ratio 0.96 (95% CI: 0.48 to 1.92); P = .9. The mean difference in height-for-age z score was 0.05 (95% CI: -0.05 to 0.15), P = .3, although the effect of vitamin D was greater for those consuming >300 mg/day of dietary calcium (0.14 [95% CI: 0 to 0.29]; P = .05). There were no between-group differences in weight-for-age or weight-for-height z scores. CONCLUSIONS: Except in those with higher calcium intake, vitamin D supplementation had no effect on rickets or growth.

Demographic Characteristics, Risk Factors, and Presenting Features of Children with Symptomatic Nutritional Rickets: A French Series.

AIM: To describe the demographic characteristics, risk factors, and presenting features of children with symptomatic nutritional rickets in France. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of 38 children diagnosed with nutritional rickets from 1998 to 2019. RESULTS: We observed a higher frequency of rickets in males (74 vs. 26%), in young children (median age at diagnosis: 23 months; 82% were younger than 5 years), and in children with a non-Caucasian ethnic background (89%). Most children were exclusively breastfed (78%) without adequate vitamin D supplementation (89%). The most common presentations were bowed legs (63%), hypocalcemic seizures (21%), and growth retardation (11%). Approximately half (62%) of the children were hypocalcemic. The children presenting with hypocalcemic seizures were significantly younger (0.8 vs. 2.2 years; p = 0.041) and had lower total serum calcium levels (1.44 vs. 2.17 mmol/L; p < 0.0001), higher phosphatemia (1.43 vs. 1.23 mmol/L; p = 0.020), and lower 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels (3 vs. 7 ng/mL; p = 0.020) but similar parathyroid hormone levels (357 vs. 289 ng/mL; p = 0.940) compared to rickets cases who did not experience hypocalcemic seizures. A dilated cardiomyopathy was detected in 14% of the children who had undergone echocardiography. CONCLUSION: Nutritional rickets remains endemic in the pediatric population and its most severe forms can have life-threatening sequelae. Health practitioners need to be cognizant of these facts to raise awareness and screen high-risk populations.

Cost-Effectiveness of Vitamin D Supplementation in Pregnant Woman and Young Children in Preventing Rickets: A Modeling Study.

Background: Literature on the cost of management of rickets and cost-effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation in preventing rickets is lacking. Methods: This study considered the cost-effectiveness of providing free vitamin D supplementation to pregnant women and children <4 years of age with varying degrees of skin pigmentation to prevent rickets in children. Estimates for the prevalence of rickets were calculated using all cases of rickets diagnosed in Central Manchester, UK and census data from the region. Cost of management of rickets were calculated using National Health Service, UK tariffs. The efficacy of vitamin D supplementation was based on a similar programme implemented in Birmingham. Quality of life was assessed using utility estimates derived from a systematic literature review. In this analysis the intervention was considered cost-effective if the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) is below the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, UK cost-effectiveness threshold of £20,000 per Quality-adjusted life year (QALY). Results: Fifty-seven patients (26 dark, 29 medium and 2 light skin tones) were managed for rickets and associated complications over 4-years. Rickets has an estimated annual incidence of 29·75 per 100,000 children <4 years of age. In the dark skin tone population vitamin D supplementation proved to be cost saving. In a medium skin tone population and light skin tone populations the ICER was £19,295 per QALY and £404,047 per QALY, respectively. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that a vitamin D supplementation to prevent rickets is cost effective in dark and medium skin tone populations.

Vitamin D Toxicity / Toxicidade da Vitamina D

Abstract Fortification of food products with vitamin D was central to the eradication of rickets in the early parts of the 20th century in the United States. In the subsequent almost 100 years since, accumulating evidence has linked vitamin D deficiency to a variety of outcomes, and this has paralleled greater public interest and awareness of the health benefits of vitamin D. Supplements containing vitamin D are now widely available in both industrialized and developing countries, and many are in the form of unregulated formulations sold to the public with little guidance for safe administration. Together, this has contributed to a transition whereby a dramatic global increase in cases of vitamin D toxicity has been reported. Clinicians are now faced with the challenge of managing this condition that can present on a spectrum from asymptomatic to acute life-threatening complications. This article considers contemporary data on vitamin D toxicity, and diagnostic and management strategies relevant to clinical practice.

Resumo A suplementação de produtos alimentares com vitamina D foi fundamental para a erradicação do raquitismo no início do século XX nos Estados Unidos. Nos quase 100 anos subsequentes, o acúmulo de evidências vinculou a deficiência de vitamina D a uma variedade de desfechos, e isso tem levantado grande interesse público e conscientização dos benefícios à saúde da vitamina D. Os suplementos que contêm vitamina D estão agora amplamente disponíveis tanto nos países desenvolvidos quanto naqueles em desenvolvimento, e muitos estão na forma de formulações não regulamentadas, vendidas ao público com poucas orientações para uma administração segura. Juntos, isso contribuiu para uma transição na qual um aumento global dramático nos casos de toxicidade da vitamina D tem sido relatado. Médicos agora enfrentam o desafio de tratar essa condição que pode apresentar um espectro de complicações assintomáticas a agudas, com risco de vida. Este artigo considera dados atualizados sobre a toxicidade da vitamina D e estratégias de diagnóstico e manejo relevantes para a prática clínica.

Vitamin D Toxicity.

Fortification of food products with vitamin D was central to the eradication of rickets in the early parts of the 20th century in the United States. In the subsequent almost 100 years since, accumulating evidence has linked vitamin D deficiency to a variety of outcomes, and this has paralleled greater public interest and awareness of the health benefits of vitamin D. Supplements containing vitamin D are now widely available in both industrialized and developing countries, and many are in the form of unregulated formulations sold to the public with little guidance for safe administration. Together, this has contributed to a transition whereby a dramatic global increase in cases of vitamin D toxicity has been reported. Clinicians are now faced with the challenge of managing this condition that can present on a spectrum from asymptomatic to acute life-threatening complications. This article considers contemporary data on vitamin D toxicity, and diagnostic and management strategies relevant to clinical practice.

Nutritional rickets under 16 years: UK surveillance results.

OBJECTIVE: The UK national incidence of nutritional rickets is unknown. We aimed to describe the incidence, presentation and clinical management of children under 16 years with nutritional rickets in the UK presenting to secondary care. METHODS: Prospective data were collected monthly between March 2015 and March 2017 from 3500 consultant paediatricians using British Paediatric Surveillance Unit methodology. Clinicians completed online clinical questionnaires for cases fitting the surveillance case definition. RESULTS: 125 cases met the case definition, an annual incidence of 0.48 (95% CI 0.37 to 0.62) per 100 000 children under 16 years. 116 children were under 5 years (annual incidence of 1.39 (95% CI 1.05 to 1.81) per 100 000. Boys (70%) were significantly more affected than girls (30%) (OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.25 to 3.78). The majority were of Black (43%) or South Asian (38%) ethnicity. 77.6% of children were not taking vitamin D supplements despite being eligible. Complications included delayed gross motor development (26.4%), fractures (9.6%), hypocalcaemic seizures (8%) and dilated cardiomyopathy (3%). Two children died (1.6%). In eight cases, rickets was confirmed radiologically and biochemically [raised serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels ] but were excluded from the incidence analysis for not meeting the case definition of 25-hydroxyvitamin D of <25 nmol/L. CONCLUSION: The incidence of nutritional rickets in the UK is lower than expected. Serious complications and unexpected deaths, particularly in Black and South Asian children under 5 years, occurred. Both vitamin D deficiency and dietary calcium deficiency are role players in pathogenesis. Uptake of vitamin D supplementation remains low.

Vitamin D Deficiency, Prevalence and Treatment in Neonatal Period.

OBJECTIVE: Maternal vitamin D deficiency is an important risk factor that causes infantile rickets in the neonatal and infantile period. The aim of this study was to review the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and treatment of vitamin D deficiency and the follow-ups with infants and their mothers by the neonatal intensive care unit of Afiyet Hospital in Turkey. METHODS: Calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P) and 25 (OH) vitamin D were studied and prospectively recorded in infants and their mothers detected to have hypocalcemia during routine biochemistry tests performed on the third postnatal day of the patients follow up and treated with different diagnoses. RESULTS: A total of 2,460 infants were admitted into the neonatal intensive care unit between August 2014 and January 2018. Of the infants included in the study, 324 (66.1%) were male and 166 (33.8%) were female, and 366 (74.6%) of them had been delivered by cesarean section (C/S), 124 (25.3%) of them had been delivered by Normal Spontaneous Delivery (NSD). Hypocalcemia was detected in 490 (19.9%) of the infants. In a total of 190 (38.7%) infants and 86 mothers (17.5%), the levels of 25 (OH) vitamin D were found to be below the laboratory detection limit of <3 ng/ml. When vitamin D deficiency + insufficiency is assessed by season, 151 of them were found to be in summer (30.99%), 118 in spring (24.18%), 117 in the winter season(23.87%), and 93 in autumn(18.97%), respectively. There was a statistically significant positive correlation of 78.7% between the vitamins D values of the mothers and the infants (p: 0.000, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: This study conducted that a positive correlation of between the vitamin D values of the mothers and the infants. In order to prevent maternal vitamin D deficiency, the appropriate dose of prophylaxis providing optimal levels of vitamin D and should be given by according to the levels of 25 (OH) D vitamin during pregnancy.

The Role of Vitamin D in Pediatric Orthopedics.

Understanding the role of vitamin D is an important component of the proper care of the pediatric orthopedic patient. Vitamin D is an essential component of bone metabolism in the growth and development of the pediatric skeleton, which can be acutely affected by changes to the body's vitamin D, calcium, and phosphate levels, resulting in pathologic conditions such as rickets or fractures. This article reviews the main areas in which vitamin D relates to pediatric orthopedics and highlights some of the areas where future research is being directed.

Shedding Light on Vitamin D Status and Its Complexities during Pregnancy, Infancy and Childhood: An Australian Perspective.

Ensuring that the entire Australian population is Vitamin D sufficient is challenging, given the wide range of latitudes spanned by the country, its multicultural population and highly urbanised lifestyle of the majority of its population. Specific issues related to the unique aspects of vitamin D metabolism during pregnancy and infancy further complicate how best to develop a universally safe and effective public health policy to ensure vitamin D adequacy for all. Furthermore, as Australia is considered a "sunny country", it does not yet have a national vitamin D food supplementation policy. Rickets remains very uncommon in Australian infants and children, however it has been recognised for decades that infants of newly arrived immigrants remain particularly at risk. Yet vitamin D deficiency rickets is entirely preventable, with the caveat that when rickets occurs in the absence of preexisting risk factors and/or is poorly responsive to adequate treatment, consideration needs to be given to genetic forms of rickets.

Nutritional rickets among children admitted with severe pneumonia at Mulago hospital, Uganda: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: There's abundant sunshine in the tropics but severe rickets is still observed. Nutritional rickets is associated with an increased risk of acute lower respiratory infections. Pneumonia is the leading cause of death in the under 5 -year old children with the highest burden in developing countries. Both Pneumonia and rickets are common in the developing countries and may affect clinical presentation and outcome. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of nutritional rickets in children admitted with severe pneumonia. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of children aged 2-59 months presenting with severe pneumonia at an emergency unit. We enrolled 221 children between February and June 2012 after consent. A pre-coded questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic, nutritional and past medical history. Physical exam was done for signs of rickets and anthropometric measurements. Serum calcium, phosphorus, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were assessed. Children with any physical signs of rickets or biochemical rickets (ALP > 400 IU); had a wrist x-ray done. Nutritional rickets was defined as the presence of radiological changes of cupping or fraying and/ or metaphyseal thickening. Severe pneumonia was defined using the WHO criteria. Statistical analysis was performed using the Stata 10 statistical package. P- value < 0.05 was significant. RESULTS: The prevalence of nutritional rickets among children with severe pneumonia is 9.5%. However, 14.5% had raised ALP (biochemical rickets). The factors independently associated with rickets was an elevated alkaline phosphatase; p-value < 0.001, or 32.95 95% CI (10.54-102.93). Other factors like breastfeeding, big family size, birth order were not significantly associated with rickets. Low serum calcium was detected in 22 (9.9%) of the 221 participants. Overall few children with rickets had typical clinical features of rickets on physical examination. CONCLUSION: Rickets is a common problem in our setting despite ample sunshine. Clinicians should actively assess children for rickets in this setting and screen for rickets in those children at high risk even without clinical features.

Prevention of rickets and osteomalacia in the UK: political action overdue.

The consequences of vitamin D and dietary calcium deficiency have become a huge public health concern in the UK. The burden of disease from these deficiencies includes rickets, and hypocalcaemic seizures, dilated cardiomyopathy and mostly occult myopathy and osteomalacia. The increasing burden of the disease is intrinsically linked to ethnicity and the population demographic changes in the UK. Three facts have led to the resurfacing of the English disease: (1) the UK has no ultraviolet sunlight for at least 6 months of the year, (2) dark skin produces far less vitamin D than white skin per unit ultraviolet light exposure, and (3) non-European Union immigration over the last century. To date, the UK government demonstrates incomplete understanding of these three facts, and its failure to adjust its prevention programmes to changing demographics is endangering the health and life of UK residents with dark skin, of whom infants are the most vulnerable. Establishing accountability through the implementation of monitored antenatal and infantile supplementation programmes and mandatory food fortification is overdue.