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Rickets still a major health issue says Canadian
Paediatric Society
18 Jul 2004
Vitamin D deficiency rickets still exists in Canada — this despite ready
access to vitamin D and a clear recommendation by the Canadian Paediatric
Society (CPS) that all breast-fed infants receive a daily supplement of oral
vitamin D.
“Vitamin D deficiency rickets is a significant public health problem among
infants living in Canada. We have had reports of several cases during the
two-year study,” said Dr. Leanne Ward, the principal investigator of the
Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program (CPSP) study Vitamin D deficiency
rickets. “This is a disease which is present, despite recommendations on
vitamin D supplementation in the first year of life.”
The CPSP study has confirmed more than 79 cases of nutritional rickets in
Canada, found predominantly among infants and toddlers. The two-year study
asked 2300 paediatricians across Canada to report all cases of nutritional
rickets. The results of the surveillance study will be released today during
a news conference being held in Montreal at the CPS Annual Conference.
The investigators found that, while intermediate and dark-skinned children
who are breast-fed without vitamin D supplementation are at increased risk
for nutritional rickets, fair-skinned children are also affected. At
diagnosis, children can exhibit symptoms such as convulsions, limb deformity,
fractures and delayed development.
“It is alarming to see so many cases of a disease that is completely
preventable through such a simple measure,” adds Dr. Ward. “We know that the
message isn’t getting out and has somehow been lost. It is important that we
renew our effort to raise awareness among health professionals and parents.”
The Canadian Paediatric Society is a national professional association,
representing more than 2,000 paediatricians, that advocates for the health
needs of children and youth. For information about the CPS recommendations on
vitamin D or the CPSP study visit http://www.cps.ca.
Additional media materials:
CPSP study fact sheet
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