Guidance Notes and Best Practice Guides
DH: The Department of Health is encouraging pregnant and breastfeeding women to boost their intake of vitamin D in the darker winter months, as more children than ever are presenting with vitamin D deficiency, which can cause seizures and rickets.
Whilst vitamin D deficiency is common among the white population, many cases of rickets in the UK are seen in Asian, Afro-Caribbean and Middle Eastern children, with some research suggesting incidence of the disease could be as high as 1 in 100 children in ethnic minority groups.