Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D and rickets in infants of extremely low birthweight.
Rickets is now a well-known entity in infants of very low birthweight. In a 1-year period (1981) 8 of 15 neonatal survivors whose birthweight was less than 1000 g (extremely low birthweight) developed rickets despite high supplementation with ergo-calciferol, 2000 units a day. At the time of radiological diagnosis their postnatal age was 8 (range 5-14) weeks, and they all had normal or high plasma concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (mean 80 nmol/l, range 40-160 nmol/l). Although 4 infants received alfacalcidol which healed the rickets, in 4 infants the rickets healed spontaneously without change in treatment. The results suggest that inadequate vitamin D supplementation is not the cause of rickets in such infants.
D015652:25-Hydroxyvitamin D 2; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000097:blood; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood; D004872:Ergocalciferols / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000097:blood; D012279:Rickets / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology
D004872:Ergocalciferols; D015652:25-Hydroxyvitamin D 2; D010758:Phosphorus; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D002118:Calcium