Asian children in the UK may need vitamin D

Rickets has been recognised as a problem in children of Asian origin since the 1960s. On p 28 Lawson and Thomas report the findings of a population survey among children of Bangladeshi, Indian, and Pakistani origin in England. A significant number of children had serum vitamin D levels low enough to suggest deficiency and an association existed between low vitamin D and iron deficiency anaemia. They suggest clinicians should recommend vitamin drops for preschool children and screen for rickets in Asian children presenting with iron deficiency anaemia. This message is reinforced by a series of cases of childhood rickets reported by Mughal et al on p 39.


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Vitamin D concentrations in Asian children aged 2 years living in England: population survey

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