Clinical aspects and causes of rickets in a Kenyan population.
Twenty nine patients with rickets were studied in a one year period. The majority of patients (17/29) were below 2 years of age. Most of them had nutritional rickets resulting from a combination of factors. Premature delivery, nonexposure to sunlight, nutritional marasmus and inappropriate dietary intake. Some had familial hypophosphataemic rickets, others had renal tubular acidosis while the rest had rickets with a familial tendency. Both the previous hospital records and the present study indicate that rickets is a persistent problem in children in the community and should be suspected in children who present with features of failure to thrive, among other conditions.
Nyakundi
P M
PM
Kenya Medical Research Institute, Clinical Research Centre, Nairobi.
Kinuthia
D W
DW
Orinda
D A
DA
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007630:Kenya; D008297:Male; D012279:Rickets / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires