The Return of Rickets

Caused by a lack of vitamin D, rickets can lead to deformities like bowed legs and stunted growth, but it had largely disappeared last century.

Dr Elspeth Webb, a reader in child health at Cardiff University said "We're still seeing rickets in children in Cardiff in the 21st Century - which a lot of people might be very shocked and surprised by, thinking of it as a Victorian illness. But no, it's not. You get women living in certain communities that perhaps don't go out much because of religious, cultural traditions. They're covered up when they do. They don't get enough access to sunlight. So they get vitamin D deficient." Dr Webb says that poverty and poor access to services are also reasons why the disease is occurring. "You don't see rickets in rich, advantaged, educated, middle-class South Asian people. So it's a mixture of religious, cultural practices with poverty."

Gareth Williams, professor of sociology at Cardiff University said "Within Cardiff you've got quite dramatic contrasts between the northern area of Cardiff and the old docks area where life expectancy is considerably lower. There's a 10-year life expectancy difference. The life expectancy of people in poor communities has been getting better very slowly. Whereas the life expectancy of people in wealthier places is getting better quite quickly."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-14256950