The calculated sample size for an anticipated prevalence of vitamin D deficiency of 80 per cent to fall within 10 per centof the true prevalence with 95 per centconfidence was 256. Further, seasonal variation and predictors of infants’ 25OHD concentration were also determined. This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency among healthy breastfed term infants at the age of 3 months and their mothers and the prevalence of radiological rickets among those infants with 25OHD <10 ng/ml. The seasonal difference in vitamin D concentration in infants and lactating mothers, prevalence of radiological rickets among those infants with biochemical vitamin D deficiency and factors that can predict the vitamin D concentration in infants have not been reported from India. ![]() There are a few reports of vitamin D deficiency among pregnant women and cord blood of their newborns 9, 10 and breastfed young infants from India 11, 12. Rickets and hypocalcemic seizures due to vitamin D deficiency in exclusively breastfed young infants have been recently reported from southern India 7, 8. Vitamin D deficiency with a resurgence of rickets is increasingly being reported in infants and toddlers from various parts of the world, especially from temperate regions and among African American babies 4 – 6. This implies that babies born to mothers with vitamin D deficiency are very likely to develop vitamin D deficiency unless supplemented from outside or adequately exposed to sunlight which is often not practical during early infancy. ![]() Vitamin D in breast milk relates to mothers’ vitamin D intake, skin pigmentation and sunlight exposure 3. ![]() Breast milk concentration of vitamin D is low (<20 IU/l) and is inadequate for the needs of the growing infant 2. During the first 6-8 wk of life, the vitamin D status of infants is determined by the vitamin D levels at birth, which depend on the vitamin D status of the mother 1. Vitamin D is the essential precursor of 1, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the steroid hormone required for calcium absorption, bone development and growth in children.
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