Rickets found in Irish infants

RICKETS, a disease thought to have been eradicated at the end of the last World War, has re-emerged in Ireland in infants suffering from a lack of vitamin D.

A report published yesterday by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) said 23 cases of rickets were reported at two Dublin paediatric hospitals in recent years. The group is calling for a Government policy of vitamin D supplementation for infants aged 0-12 months on foot of the report findings.

Dr Mary Flynn, chairwoman of the Working Group on Vitamin D Supplementation for Infants in Ireland, said the re-emergence of rickets was surprising at a time when most nutrition-related diseases were caused by excess.

“It would seem reasonable to assume that the problem of nutritional deficiency should no longer be a serious public health issue. Yet, the recent re-emergence of rickets among infants in Ireland clearly demonstrates that this is not the case.”

Rickets is primarily a severe form of vitamin D deficiency causing deformity of the bones. Vitamin D, which is involved in calcium metabolism and is necessary for good bone health, is produced via the action of sunlight on the skin.

However, Dr Flynn said Ireland’s northerly latitude means vitamin D production from sunlight is severely compromised and as vitamin D is found in only a limited number of foods, including oily fish, egg yolk and liver, dietary intakes have little impact on overall vitamin D status.

Dr Flynn said in addition to the reported cases of rickets, “there is much evidence that sub-optimal levels of vitamin D in Ireland are widespread”.

“Other countries at latitudes similar to that of Ireland have identified this problem and have long since adopted vitamin D supplementation and/or fortification policies.”

The report — Recommendations for a National Policy of Vitamin D Supplementation for Infants in Ireland — identifies poor vitamin D status among infants, adults, adolescent girls and pregnant women.