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Anorak News | SAD Rickets For Asians Up North

SAD Rickets For Asians Up North

by | 30th, October 2007

THIS is why northerners take their tops off at football matches:

Rickets, a softening of bone tissue often characterised by bowed legs, is caused by a vitamin D deficiency and was associated with Victorian slums. But a study found that there were 56 suspected cases between 2003 and 2005 in the catchment area of two primary care trusts that cover Blackburn with Darwen and Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale, in Lancashire. A large proportion of the cases came from the Asian community of Blackburn with Darwen.

Public health officials say that the problem is genetic and cultural. The religious imperative to use a hijab to cover up in public means that some women are not exposed to enough sunlight. Dr Ellis Friedman, the director of public health for East Lancashire, said rickets “is caused by a combination of skin colouration, diet and dress, not poverty”.

Tango! Tango! Tango!



Posted: 30th, October 2007 | In: Reviews Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink