These findings were triggered by a case in 2009 when Dr Scheimberg found that congenital rickets was the cause of death in a four-month-old baby. The parents of the latter were accused of causing death by shaking.
Dr Scheimberg is of the opinion that bones of very small babies become brittle due to vitamin D deficiency and also fracture very easily. "We need to investigate the vitamin D levels of these children carefully and the circumstances in which the bones fracture," she told the BBC.
Larger studies are needed to ascertain the link between vitamin D deficiency and the risk of infant deaths, but if these findings are borne out, health officials need to consider increasing vitamin D supplementation in pregnant women.
Source: Medindia
