YM Ng, SMY Wong, AKH Lee

Abstract

Nutritional rickets is a rare disorder in modern society. We report the case of a patient with rickets presenting with genu valgum (knock-knees). Subsequent investigations revealed the patient had insufficient total blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D owing to prolonged breastfeeding. He was treated successfully with calciferol for a period of 6 months followed by maintenance therapy with multivitamins and nutritional advice. To our knowledge, this is the first report of nutritional rickets due to prolonged breastfeeding in Hong Kong. The ensuing discussion highlights the need to provide adequate guidance on vitamin supplementation to breastfeeding mothers to prevent vitamin deficiency in their infants.

營養性佝僂病在現今社會已經相當罕見，我們在本文報導了一例有膝外翻的佝僂病病例。隨後的調查顯示，患者血25-羥維生素D不足是由於長期母乳餵養造成。病童在接受6個月的骨化醇後痊癒，之後持續給予多種維生素和營養指導。據我們所知，這是香港第一例因長期母乳餵養導致佝僂病的病例。隨後的討論強調，醫護人員應對母乳餵養的母親在嬰兒維生素補充方面提供足夠的指導，防止嬰兒出現維生素缺乏。