Rickets

Rickets is a deficiency disease, seen mostly in children, characterized by softening of bones. The disease results from the failure of the body to assimilate calcium due to low Vitamin D levels. It is usually associated with serious malnutrition and developing countries. However it has recently been seen among dark-skinned African American infants exclusively breast-fed after 6 months old.^1,2 According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, dark-skinned infants and children who are only fed breast milk should receive 400 IU of vitamin D daily beginning by at least 2 months old.³

See Also

References

1. Rickets Reemerging in United States. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/412104

2. Rajakumar K, Thomas SB. Reemerging nutritional rickets: a historical perspective. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2005 Apr;159(4):335-41.

3. Vitamin D Supplementation To Prevent Rickets in Breast-Fed Babies. http://www.ahrq.gov/child/rickets.htm