The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics 2009 , Vol 51 , Num 2
Early and severe presentation of vitamin D deficiency and nutritional rickets among hospitalized infants and the effective factors
1Departments of Pediatrics, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
2Departments of Pediatrics, Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
3Departments of Pediatrics, Ministry of Health Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
Tezer H, Şıklar Z, Dallar Y, Doğankoç Ş. Early and severe presentation of vitamin D deficiency and nutritional rickets among hospitalized infants and the effective factors. Turk J Pediatr 2009; 51: 110-115.

Nutritional rickets is re-emerging as a significant health problem among children. We determined the frequency of nutritional rickets and vitamin D deficiency among hospitalized children and the effective factors. During a one-year period, 305 hospitalized children (ages between 0 to 3 years) were evaluated for clinical and biochemical markers of vitamin D deficient rickets and related factors. Twenty-one of them (6.8%) were diagnosed as nutritional vitamin D deficiency and rickets. Most of the children diagnosed were under one year old (16/21, 76.2%). Fourteen vitamin D deficient rachitic children were admitted to the hospital with infectious conditions, and most of them were respiratory tract infection. The rachitic group was compared for statistical significance with the non-rachitic control patients for the data collected. Rachitic children had a lower rate of vitamin D intake. The frequency of malnutrition and anemia and the percentage of covered mothers were higher in the rachitic group than in the control group. Vitamin D deficiencyrelated rickets is still a common and serious health problem especially in the infancy period. To address this problem, a specific attention should be given to women of reproductive age and in the early infancy period. Initiation of vitamin D supplementation could be offered very early (perhaps after the birth) in children with risk factors. Keywords : nutritional rickets, children, vitamin D deficiency

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