Carole Dobrich wrote: "I was visiting a mum the other day (5 days
postpartum) for a latch problem and the mum mentioned that she was told to
give the baby Vit D to decrease the baby's jaundice. The nurse told her
this at the hospital. I then received an email requesting an in service
with the public health nurses and
one of there requests was re: Vit D and Jaundice. Has anyone else heard of
this?"
Does this baby have neonatal cholestatic jaundice (jaundice produced by
failure of bile to flow to the duodenum; caused by intrahepatic bile duct
obstruction, liver cell damage, or extrahepatic obstruction to the flow of
bile)? If so, the link between vitamin D and jaundice could actually be
impaired liver function. Rickets can be caused by vitamin D deficiency, but
also by dietary deficiencies of calcium, phosphate, and (rarely) magnesium;
prematurity; or iatrogenic (e.g., anticonvulsant medications), kidney,
*liver,* gastrointestinal (e.g., malabsorption disorders), endocrine, and
oncogenic diseases (Garbaredian & Ben-Mekhbi 1999; Caspary et al. 1975;
Balsan, et al. 1975; Hepner, et al. 1975; Fairney, et al. 1975; Rapado, et
al. 1975). A baby with impaired liver function may need vitamin D
supplementation, but I don't see how vitamin D supplementation would cure
the liver impairment and, thereby, reduce any jaundice the impairment was
causing. Is someone incorrectly equating vitamin D supplementation with
sunlight exposure? UV radiation is used artificially (and naturally, from
sun exposure) to treat jaundice and UV radiation is used by the body to
make vitamin D. However, vitamin D supplementation does not duplicate all
effects of UV radiation exposure.
Any MD's care to comment or expand on this? I'm wondering where the nurses
got their information. What are their references? I'd be most interested to
know!
Curiously,
Cynthia
Cynthia Good Mojab
Ammawell
Email: [log in to unmask]
Web site: http://home.attbi.com/~ammawell
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