ESPE Abstracts

Background: Nutritional rickets continues to be an important health care problem. Its incidence has decreased in our country following the free vitamin D distribution that started in 2005 but it continues to stay on the agenda as a preventable disorder.

Aim: Our aim was to evaluate patients diagnosed with nutritional rickets following the vitamin D supplementation program.

Method: We evaluated patients diagnosed with nutritional rickets between 2006 and 2011 at the Dr Sami Ulus Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatrics Training and Research Hospital. Nutritional rickets was defined with rickets-specific radiological findings and one of elevated alkaline phosphatase or decreased 25OHD in addition to hypocalcaemia and the response to treatment.

Results: The 93 nutritional rickets patients consisted of 39 (41%) girls and 54 (59%) boys. The mean age was 19.1±35.1 months. The patients had presented mostly in February and May and only 20% had been receiving vitamin D supplementation. A concurrent disorder was present in 46%. The most common sign at presentation was hypocalcaemic seizure (28%, n: 26). The physical examination usually revealed widened wrists and rachitic beads. Hypocalcaemia was present in 46 (n: 43) and stoss therapy had been administered to 53% (n: 49).

Conclusion: The 400 IU vitamin D supplementation dose needs to be revised and the program made more widely available. The rickets incidence in infants aged 0-3 months has decreased but the fact that it continues to be present emphasises the importance of providing vitamin D supplementation to pregnant and nursing women.