Doctors fear rickets resurgence

Pregnant or breastfeeding women have been urged to boost their vitamin D intake amid warnings that cases of rickets in children are increasing.

Rickets is a bone disease mainly caused by a lack of the vitamin. It can lead to deformities, stunted growth and general ill-health.

Some minority ethnic groups in the UK, including Asians, are particularly at risk, says the Department of Health. Doctors want pregnant women to take more vitamin D during winter months.



Common at the start of the last century, rickets was thought to be eradicated in the 1950s because of better nutrition.

But research suggests the incidence of rickets could be as high as one in 100 children among Asian, Afro-Caribbean and Middle Eastern ethnic minority groups.

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

With news video.