Symptomatic vitamin D deficiency among non-Caucasian adolescents living in the United Kingdom

We have previously drawn attention to a resurgence of vitamin D deficiency rickets in young children of South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi) and Middle Eastern origin, living in the UK.1,2 We now describe nine (one male) non-Caucasian, adolescents (age 11–17 years) who presented with symptomatic vitamin D deficiency between 1997 and 2002. Table 1 summarises their ages, ethnic origins, clinical symptoms, signs, and relevant biochemical findings at presentation. All presented with symptoms of vitamin D deficiency, which included lower limb pains, difficulty in walking or climbing stairs, carpopedal spasms, and hypocalcaemic convulsions. Clinical signs included positive Chvostek sign, inability to stand up unaided from …