Vitamin D deficiency rickets due to inappropriate feeding: report of one case

Vitamin D deficiency rickets is rare among infants and children in the industrialized countries. In this paper, we report a 2-year-5-month-old girl with aching and bowed legs. A food allergy with atopic dermatitis was diagnosed since her early infancy. Strict dietary restrictions were done and she was mostly fed soybean juice and rice foods. Fortified soybean formula (Isomil) was introduced one month before admission. Vitamin D deficiency rickets was diagnosed by a history of inappropriate feeding, roentgenographic and laboratory findings. The therapeutic regimen included 1, 25-dihydroxycholecalciferol 0.5 ug/day and calcium carbonate 100 mg/kg/day. Extensive nutritional counseling was also given for correction of aberrant dietary practices. After a one-year follow-up, there was radiological evidence of bone healing, and marked improvement of leg deformities.