title: Vitamin D deficiency in mothers of rachitic infants.
abstract: The existence of nutritional deficiency rickets among infants in sunny Riyadh was confirmed radiologically. Most of the rachitic infants were breast-fed, some received unsupplemented infant feeding formulae, and all live in an environment that is devoid of sunlight. Their mean age at the time of onset was 10.5 months. 25-Hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels were found to be low in mothers of the rachitic infants. This maternal deficiency as a factor in pathogenesis of rickets in the infant is discussed. Proposals are made to prevent the occurrence of rickets on this scale.
mesh_terms: D001942:Breast Feeding; D002112:Calcifediol / Q000097:blood; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003020:Clothing; D005260:Female; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007224:Infant Care; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D008895:Milk, Human; D011247:Pregnancy; D012279:Rickets / Q000209:etiology*; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D013472:Sunlight; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D002112:Calcifediol