BMJ 1999;318:1417 ( 22 May )

Letters

Vitamin D concentrations in Asian children living in England

    Limited vitamin D intake and use of sunscreens may lead to rickets
    Concentrations found may be function of analytical methodology used

Limited vitamin D intake and use of sunscreens may lead to rickets

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITORI would like to add a sixth suggestion to Wharton's five approaches to improving children's vitamin D status to prevent rickets.¹ A case of rickets was recently diagnosed in a 12 month old white infant at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He had clinical, radiological, and biochemical evidence of rickets, which responded to vitamin D treatment. Vitamin D intake seemed adequate until six months after treatment began but was sporadic after that. Although the infant spent time outdoors in the summer, his skin was protected with potent sunscreens (SPF 30).

Rickets presumably developed because of limited vitamin D intake combined with diminished skin penetration of ultraviolet radiation. I believe that this is the first case to be diagnosed in a white infant. Although numerous previous reports have documented vitamin D deficiency rickets from inadequate oral intake of vitamin D, in most cases the infants had dark . . . [Full text of this article]

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Vitamin D levels and Asian Children

Margaret Lawson
bmj.com, 17 Jun 1999 [Full text]

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