Rickets almost eradicated in counties giving free Vitamin D, perhaps the world can learn
Nutritional rickets: Historic overview and plan for worldwide eradication
The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsbmb.2019.105563
Roger Bouillon Leen Antonio
Highlights
Rickets is the tip of an iceberg of vitamin D deficiency disorders
Nutritional rickets can be due to vitamin D and or calcium deficiency
Rickets has been largely eradicated in countries with a systematic vitamin D supplementation of all infants
Rickets is still endemic in many countries or risk groups
A strategy is needed to implement a strategy to eradicate nutritional rickets, similar to the WHO eradication project for iodine deficiency disorders
Rickets was first described in great detail in the mid 17th century and was affecting a great number of children in major European cities. The disease, however, existed already in the Roman times. The etiology of this disease remained enigmatic until the 1920s when two different mechanisms, lack of exposure to sunlight and lack of a dietary factor were finally solved by the discovery of vitamin D and its dual origin.
Soon thereafter, the implementation of vitamin D supplementation for all infants and small children largely eliminated nutritional rickets in Europe and North America. It took nearly a century to elucidate the complex chemistry, metabolism, mode and spectrum of activity of the vitamin D endocrine system.
Nutritional rickets, whether due to simple vitamin D or calcium deficiency or both, remains widely ravaging many infants and children around the world.
Asian countries and the Middle East are mainly confronted with vitamin D deficiency whereas
many African and some Asian countries face calcium deficiency rickets
Immigrants and refugees or in general people with a darker skin living in moderate climate zone are also confronted with this disease. There is great consensus how this disease could be prevented or cured. In collaboration with most international professional societies, we prepare a memorandum, in line with the successful battle against iodine deficiency disorders, to convince the World Health Organization and its member states to start an implementation program to eradicate nutritional rickets by 2030.