Mothers-to-be urged to take vitamin D to stop resurgence of rickets

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Resurgence: Ultra-violet light 'sunbaths' (shown here) were recommended for children with rickets

Pregnant women are being urged to take vitamin D pills to prevent rickets affecting their babies.

The Government wants women to consider taking the supplement if they are expecting or breastfeeding.

Health workers are seeing more children than ever with vitamin D deficiency, which can lead to seizures and make the bones fail to grow properly.

It was thought that rickets had virtually been eliminated after the war, although children in developing countries still suffered from the bowed legs and fragile bones associated with the disorder.

But the changing lifestyle of UK with many spending long periods indoors may be contributing to a resurgence.

Vitamin D is often called the "sunshine vitamin" because it is made by the action of sunlight on the skin, which accounts for 90 per cent of the body's supply.

In northern European countries sun exposure levels are relatively low, mothers are less likely to put their babies outdoors in prams and girls tend to grow up with a vitamin D deficiency that persists into their pregnancies.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women and children-under four may benefit from a daily supplement containing 10micrograms of vitamin D, according to the Department of Health.

Babies fed with formula milk get enough vitamin D because the milk is fortified with it.

Many cases of rickets in the UK are seen in Asian, Afro-Caribbean and Middle Eastern children. Some studies suggest as many as one in 100 children from ethnic minorities suffer from the deficiency.

Dark-skinned people do not absorb as much sunlight through the skin and may also wear clothing for cultural reasons that prevents exposure to the sun.

Women should contact their GP for a blood test if they think they may be lacking the vitamin, says the health department.

Dr Colin Michie, a paediatrician at Ealing Hospital in West London, said many expectant mothers had low stores of vitamin D.

"We are seeing significant numbers of children with vitamin D deficiency," he said.

"Mothers and babies are simply not getting enough of this important vitamin.

"Most pregnant and breastfeeding women should take a vitamin D supplement to ensure babies get the best start in life.

"Babies receive vitamin D from their mothers while in the womb, and then from breastmilk until they are weaned.

"If a pregnant or breastfeeding woman is lacking in vitamin D, the baby will also have low vitamin D and calcium levels which can lead them to develop seizures in the first months of life."

Rosie Dodds of the National Childbirth Trust said women were not aware of how important vitamin D was to the health of their children.

She said: "Our lifestyles today mean there are fewer opportunities to make vitamin D through the skin, especially during a British winter.

"Babies are less likely to be exposed to sun in their prams and children spend longer indoors than ever before.

"However, there is evidence that vitamin D helps the immune system and allergies, and influences cancer development in later life."

In the summer months, 15 minutes exposure to sunlight per day of the arms, head and shoulders is enough for the body to make enough vitamin D for good health.

In the winter months, foods such as oily fish, eggs, fortified cereals and bread can provide enough of the vitamin alongside the body's own stores, says the health department.

At latitudes of 52 degrees north - above Birmingham - there is no ultraviolet light of the appropriate wavelength in winter for the body to make vitamin D in the skin.

• Almost a century ago scientists found that rickets was linked to a lack of vitamin D.

The condition had affected children for centuries and its name was derived from the old English word "wrikken" meaning to twist or bend.

The disorder leads to the softening and weakening of bones, resulting in characteristic bowing of the legs.

Rickets was common in Victorian times and even dominated public health policy in the early part of the 20th century as doctors recognised it could be prevented by supplementing foods such margarine, infant milks and cereals.

Public health workers promoted the virtues of cod liver oil.

"Sunbaths" in ultra-violet light were recommended for children who needed to top up their vitamin D levels.

 

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