Background: Literature on the cost of management of rickets and cost-effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation in preventing rickets is lacking. Methods: This study considered the cost-effectiveness of providing free vitamin D supplementation to pregnant women and children <4 years of age with varying degrees of skin pigmentation to prevent rickets in children. Estimates for the prevalence of rickets were calculated using all cases of rickets diagnosed in Central Manchester, UK and census data from the region. Cost of management of rickets were calculated using National Health Service, UK tariffs. The efficacy of vitamin D supplementation was based on a similar programme implemented in Birmingham. Quality of life was assessed using utility estimates derived from a systematic literature review. In this analysis the intervention was considered cost-effective if the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) is below the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, UK cost-effectiveness threshold of £20,000 per Quality-adjusted life year (QALY). Results: Fifty-seven patients (26 dark, 29 medium and 2 light skin tones) were managed for rickets and associated complications over 4-years. Rickets has an estimated annual incidence of 29•75 per 100,000 children <4 years of age. In the dark skin tone population vitamin D supplementation proved to be cost saving. In a medium skin tone population and light skin tone populations the ICER was £19,295 per QALY and £404,047 per QALY, respectively. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that a vitamin D supplementation to prevent rickets is cost effective in dark and medium skin tone populations.

Background Diabetes mellitus is the most common metabolic disease globally, while glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, an X-linked inherited disorder, is the most common erythrocyte enzyme defect. The association between the two in children has been infrequently reported. Case presentation We report the case of a 10-year-old boy of Iraqi descent who presented to our emergency department with new-onset type 1 diabetes mellitus without Diabetic Keto Acidosis. He was treated with subcutaneous insulin and discharged. Eleven days after hospitalization, he was found to be jaundiced during his home visit. Hence, he was referred to the pediatric unit, and his hemoglobin had declined from 130 g/L at the previous admission to 81 g/L. Blood tests revealed low haptoglobin, and his peripheral blood film showed anisocytosis, polychromasia, and occasional red cell fragments suggestive of acute hemolysis. His glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity was very low, and his subsequent genetic tests confirmed Mediterranean-type glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. Conclusion Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in people with diabetes mellitus has been underreported in the literature so far, and screening of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency should be considered on diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, especially in boys of African, Mediterranean, or Asian descent.

No abstract

Peripheral or generalized edema is an uncommon complication of insulin therapy in diabetes mellitus. The exact cause is yet not known. It is transient and self-limiting in nature. However, diuretics and aldosterone antagonists have been used in some cases. We report the case of a 14-year-old boy with newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes who developed edema after the commencement of insulin therapy. Other causes of edema were excluded from the study. The child was managed conservatively and edema seemed to start decreasing after 72 h and completely disappear in 2 weeks.

No abstract