Keeping out of the sun 'is bringing rickets back' as cases increase fivefold in 14 years



The number of British children suffering from rickets has increased fivefold since 1997, figures have revealed.



More than 760 were admitted to hospital last year with the condition, caused by a shortage of Vitamin D – the vital chemical which is boosted by sunlight.



Better nutrition had all but wiped out rickets, which was common in 19th century Britain, but rates have started to rise in the last decade. It is still a major problem in the third world.



Some experts blame its return on parents’ increasing fear of skin cancer, which encourages them to smother their children in sun cream and keep them out of the sun.



Sunlight: Spending too much time inside boosts the chances of rickets

Today’s children also spend much less time playing outside than previous generations, instead staying indoors to watch television or play on their computers.



And fewer youngsters now take cod liver oil capsules, which are rich in vitamin D and, until recently, were given to children to protect against rickets.

Indications that the disease – which causes brittle bones and deformities – is making a return will be greeted with concern among doctors.

Gillian Killiner, of the British Dietetic Association, said: ‘We have taken it for granted that skin cancer is the big one and overlooked the Vitamin D side.



‘Children are covered up with sunblock, t-shirts and hats, and that can be important – but perhaps we’ve pushed it too far.



‘We don’t have a lot of sun in this country, and in winter you are likely to be lacking in Vitamin D.



‘If you haven’t built enough up over summer, that’s going to be a certainty.’

Examination: A schoolboy gets tested for rickets in this photo from the 1920s

She added that children are eating smaller amounts of fish and eggs than in the past, so they get less Vitamin D in their food.



‘It’s to do with the way we eat, obesity, and the lack of spending time out and about. In addition, more children are now overweight and that can reduce their ability to absorb Vitamin D,’ she said.



She added that black and Asian children were more at risk of rickets because it takes darker skins longer to absorb Vitamin D. ‘This effect can be exacerbated if they have covered up for cultural reasons,’ she said.



Figures on the number of patients admitted to hospital with rickets were revealed following a parliamentary question.



They showed that in 1997/98, 147 people ended up in hospital with a primary or secondary diagnosis of rickets.



By 2003/04, the total had more than doubled to 329. Within five years, the number had more than doubled again to 723.



Overall, between 1997/98 and 2010/11, the number of rickets sufferers increased more than fivefold from 147 to 762.



While the figures did not specify ages, experts say the vast majority are children, as Vitamin D deficiency manifests itself as rickets in the young and osteoporosis in adults.



Rickets is a major problem in third-world countries, where it is caused by a shortage of calcium.



It became endemic in the growing cities of 19th century Britain, because of a lack of access to sunlight and poor diets, but rates fell during the 20th century.



Last year, a group of doctors warned that people were not getting enough Vitamin D due to skin cancer fears.



Dr Barbara Boucher, of Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, said: ‘Melanoma is a deadly disease.

