title: Ganglioneuroblastoma-associated vitamin D deficiency rickets.
abstract: Vitamin D deficiency is the most common cause of rickets mainly in breast-fed dark-skinned, African or Asian children receiving inadequate sunlight exposure. We report a case of a 1.5 year-old Afro-Italian male infant living in South Italy who came to our observation with the typical clinical picture of vitamin D deficiency rickets. The child was exclusively breast-fed for 8 months without vitamin D supplements. Owing to the rarity of vitamin D deficiency rickets in the South of Italy he underwent several investigations, which demonstrated the association with an abdominal ganglioneuroblastoma. To our knowledge, ganglioneuroblastoma has never been reported in association with vitamin D deficiency rickets. Although the association between these 2 rare conditions may be coincidental, the protective action of vitamin D against cancer suggests that vitamin D deficiency might have contributed to the development of ganglioneuroblastoma in our patient.
authors: Department of Pediatrics, University of Catania, Catania daggerDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors: Clementina
authors: C
authors: La Rosa
authors: Gianpiero Igli
authors: GI
authors: Baroncelli
authors: Piero
authors: P
authors: Pavone
authors: Andrea Domenico
authors: AD
authors: Praticò
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Di Cataldo
authors: Manuela
authors: M
authors: Caruso-Nicoletti
mesh_terms: D000008:Abdominal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D002119:Calcium Carbonate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013505:Digestive System Surgical Procedures; D018305:Ganglioneuroblastoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D005942:Gluconates / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012279:Rickets / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D005942:Gluconates; C041283:lactogluconic acid; D014807:Vitamin D; D002119:Calcium Carbonate