title: Northern infant syndrome: a deficiency state?
abstract: A syndrome is described that affected 16 Indian and Inuit infants roughly 3 months old, most of whom were born in settlements in the Canadian Arctic. The infants presented with a clinical picture that included hepatitis, hemolytic anemia, rickets and respiratory distress, a combination that resembled a syndrome first described in malnourished infants at the turn of the century by von Jaksch and Luzet. The clinical course was self-limited, and all the infants survived without sequelae. The cause of the syndrome was not determined; no infectious agents were discovered. However, low levels of vitamins A, C, D and E were found in a few infants in whom assays were done. The implications of these findings and their relation to the possible cause of this "northern infant syndrome" are discussed.
mesh_terms: D000743:Anemia, Hemolytic / Q000150:complications*; D001110:Arctic Regions; D001361:Avitaminosis / Q000628:therapy; D002170:Canada; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000150:complications; D005183:Failure to Thrive / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006505:Hepatitis / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012127:Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / Q000150:complications*; D012279:Rickets / Q000150:complications*; D013577:Syndrome; D014815:Vitamins / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D014815:Vitamins