DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2020.v08i05.028

Pages: 1305-1309

Background: Nutritional rickets remains a public health problem in many countries, despite dramatic declines in the prevalence of the condition in many developed countries since the discoveries of vitamin D and the role of ultraviolet light in prevention. It is very important in treating patients with nutritional rickets to know about the clinical presentation and etiology of this disease. Aim of the study: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical presentation and etiology of nutritional rickets among 0-5 year’s children of Bangladesh. Methods: The prospective observational study was conducted in in Dhaka Shishu (Children) Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh during the period from August 2015 to July 2017. Child aged 1-5 years attending in the mentioned with complaints bowing of leg and/or clinical symptoms consistent with rickets were approached. Suspected rickets cases were investigated further and total 100 cases were analyzed. Informed consent and ethical measures were ensured in each cases. Result: In this study we found, 52.22% participants were with bow leg whereas 25.56% were with knock knee, 7.78% were with sabre tibia and 16.67% were with double malleolus. On the other hand, as upper limb deformities we found 27.78% with swelling and/or widening wrists, 11.11% with craniotabes and 12.22% with wide anterior. Besides these, as other deformities we found 26.67% with rib beading, 25.56% with pectus carinatum, 26.67% with delayed growth and 21.11% with delayed dentition. In analyzing the factors of nutritional rickets we found the skin color was fair, medium and dark of 10%, 46.67% and 43.33% respectively. On the other hand, 73.33% child got exclusive breastfeeding for 4-6 months and 26.67 got less than 4 months. In total 40% child got sunlight exposure for more than 30 minutes/day whereas 60% got it less than 30 minutes/day. Conclusion: Our study indicates that, nutritional rickets is a significant health burden that deserves special attention...............