Vitamin D deficiency rickets in infants presenting with hypocalcaemic convulsions

AIM Hypocalcaemia evaluation of the clinical, biochemical and radiologicalfeatures of 91 infants with rickets who presented as hypocalcaemic convulsions. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Ninety-one hypocalcaemic infants who were brought to hospital with convulsion and diag-nosed with rickets related to vitamin D deficiency according to their clinical, biochemical and radio-logicalfeatures were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS Mean values of the laboratory data were as follows: calcium 5.55 +/- 0.79 mg/dL, phosphorus 4.77 +/- 1.66 mg/dL, alkaline phosphatase 1525.5 +/- 925.4 U/L and parathormone 256.8 +/- 158.3 pg/mL. Serum 25-OH vitamin D levels were below normal (< 20 ng/mL) in 37 infants. CONCLUSION Vitamin D deficiency should be considered in infants presenting with hypocalcaemia. To avoid complications such as convulsions, clinicians should give vitamin D supplementation to such infants.