1. Vitamin D deficiency rickets in breast-fed infants presenting with hypocalcaemic seizures.
- Author
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Ahmed I, Atiq M, Iqbal J, Khurshid M, and Whittaker P
- Subjects
- Diagnosis, Differential, Female, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Male, Pregnancy, Rickets diagnosis, Saudi Arabia, Vitamin D Deficiency diagnosis, Breast Feeding, Hypocalcemia etiology, Rickets complications, Spasms, Infantile etiology, Vitamin D Deficiency complications
- Abstract
At the Aga Khan Hospital (AKUH), 65 infants presented with hypocalcaemic seizures, subsequently found to have rickets. Forty-six infants less than 6 months were totally or predominantly breast fed. In a subgroup of 15 mothers and their infants, we found very low plasma levels of 25(OH) vitamin D of < 5 micrograms/l and 7.5 +/- 3.3 micrograms/l, respectively. Neither mothers nor infants received vitamin D supplementation. Maternal vitamin D deficiency and non-supplementation in the infants were the likely causes of rickets in our patients. Prophylactic vitamin D 400 i.u. administered to infants up to 2 years and 800 i.u. to women in pregnancy and during lactation is recommended to prevent vitamin D deficiency.
- Published
- 1995
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