Vitamin D deficiency and rickets in children and adolescents with ichthyosiform erythroderma in type IV and V skin

Summary Background Ichthyosiform erythroderma due to keratinizing disorders may suppress cutaneous vitamin D synthesis, leading to vitamin D deficiency and rickets. Objectives To determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and rickets in children and adolescents with congenital ichthyosis and other keratinizing disorders with erythroderma and scaling. Patients and methods In this cross-sectional study, 45 children and adolescents with ichthyosiform erythroderma due to keratinizing disorders, and 66 controls (group 1: age and sex matched, with skin diseases other than keratinizing disorders; group 2: age and sex matched, healthy volunteers) were included. Evidence of rickets was determined clinically (physical examination and radiographs) and biochemically {serum calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, 25-hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D] and parathyroid hormone (PTH)}. Results All patients in the disease group had clinical, radiological or biochemical evidence of rickets [25(OH)D 65 pg mL−1) was also significantly higher in the disease group than in controls (P