Rickets reported in the US
The vitamin D deficiency disease, rickets has been reported in four children in the US, according to the researchers writing in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.
The children were between the ages of four and 24 months and all lived in suburban America.
Experts believed that rickets was eliminated from the US with the introduction of vitamin D fortified milk. However, children over 6 months who are breast fed by women deficient in vitamin D are at risk. This may occur in northern areas where there is less sunlight. Children who do not consume dairy products are also at higher risk.
In another study published in the British Medical Journal, researchers have reported that Asian immigrants to Britain, particularly those of Pakistani origin are at particular risk of vitamin D deficiency. The Department of Health recommends vitamin D supplements to all Asian children under 5 years of age.
Researchers at the Institute of Child Health assessed the links between iron deficiency anemia and vitamin D deficiency in Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani children. They found iron deficiency to be a significant risk factor for low vitamin D concentration in all three groups. They recommend screening for rickets in children with low hemoglobin concentrations.
