Tragic death of six month old baby highlights need for policy overhaul regarding vitamin D supplementation

[helvella]

Although not strictly a thyroid issue, it is quite clear than vitamin D is an immensely important topic to thyroid patients. This very sad story rams home the need to do something.

I also wonder whether any babies or very young children are unable to tolerate vitamin D supplements?

Tragic death of six month old baby highlights need for policy overhaul regarding vitamin D supplementation

Posted on 26 Jun 2018

UK vitamin D supplementation policy needs to change to protect the health and lives of babies, pregnant women and dark skinned individuals, say University of Birmingham researchers as they today highlighted the death of a baby and serious ill health of two others due to a vitamin D deficiency.

Rest of story here:

birmingham.ac.uk/news/lates...

[silverfox7]

Interesting! We are celebrating 70 years of the NHS and yet we hear of awful things like this. Knowing about it is one thing but a solution and testing is another. Was it Vit D tests that if bulk buying 10 brought the price down? If so may be we should be changing our ideas on birthday gifts and give test kits to our nearest and dearest who may be vulnerable.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to silverfox7]

The cost for 10 kits is currently £240.

vitamindtest.org.uk/

I wonder if there could be a more efficient system (perhaps not tied to just the one lab) if the right thoughts were applied?

The fact that no doctor diagnosed rickets should be a major lesson.

[silverfox7 in reply to helvella]

Thanks for that! My memory might better be than I thought as well! I have three children with two spouses so with me that's just over half way and I'm sure some will need a follow up plus I've always wanted to test twice a year to cover seasonal variations.

[Justiina]

That's horrible , so easy to prevent the death!

Low cholesterol causes low vit D so maybe that's one reason why more get deficient (statins).

Recently over here in Finland there were kids suffering from toxicity of vitamin D as parents had given too much , well that's bad but the doctor who was interviewed for the article said 5 mcg is enough for kids aged 7-15 !!! 5????? And for adults max 20 mcg , no more.

No wonder people are low on vit D.

[Angel_of_the_North]

Although it was pretty useless by today's standards, when I was a baby, doctor's advised mothers to give Haliborange tablets every day - halibut oil and Vit C (so vit A , D and C). Although we used to complain about waiting times in the 60s and 70s, I think it has actually got worse, as it now takes nearly as long to get a referral letter as it did to get the actual appointment back then. And GP appointment times were longer, and they did home visits routinely. And so much time is wasted on summoning people for screening that they'd really like to opt out of but can't.

[LAHs in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Yes, thanks for that blast from the past. I remember Haliborange tablets. I used to have them.

[Chippysue]

As many experts say vitamin D is crucial and deficiency the cause of many diseases.

Toxic sun creams are to blame for vitamin d deficiency too. Babies and children are plastered in suncreams which contain carcinogens. The public have been made afraid of the sun! Everything we put on our skin is absorbed into our blood stream.

[Chickenlady2009]

Thanks for sharing. I'd love to see a study showing how much time people spend outdoors today in comparison to different times in history. Historically most people were employed in agriculture, so they would be out doors. Also, without electric lighting most cottage industries would be performed outdoors. What about the impact of cars? How many of us don't walk anywhere anymore, ( but work out at a gym) thus missing the opportunity to catch some sun?

[humanbean]

A tragic story.

But how often are people told that vitamin and mineral supplements are a waste of money? Articles saying this pop up on a regular basis.