Premium
RICKETS IN MELBOURNE
Author(s) -
Mayne Valerie,
McCredie David
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1972.tb103598.x
Subject(s) - rickets , incidence (geometry) , pediatrics , medicine , population , plea , demography , vitamin d and neurology , environmental health , physics , optics , sociology , political science , law
A survey was made of the incidence of rickets at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, over a ten‐year period. A marked escalation of this disease has occurred, with approximately 20 cases in the past 12 months, so that nutritional rickets is now commoner than all other types of rickets combined. The child of migrants from Mediterranean countries is particularly at risk, accounting for approximately 75% of our cases. The premature infant and the child of Aboriginal origin are also particularly at risk. Breast feeding does not prevent the development of rickets. A plea is made for adequate instruction of our migrant population in the prevention of this disease.