Summary

A 14-month-old girl presented with the recurring bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea and failure to thrive. At 7 months of age, the baby was found to be exclusively breast fed and her blood tests revealed low calcium, low phosphorous and markedly elevated alkaline phosphatase. She was started on vitamin D and calcium supplements. Five months later, she came in with lower-limb bowing, irritability, vomiting and loose stools. The laboratory studies revealed very low serum hydroxyvitamin D, and high serum dihydroxyvitamin D. Vitamin D dose was doubled. Ten weeks later, her growth velocity had fallen and she continued to have intermittent loose stools. The oesophagogastroduodenoscopy was done and the biopsies showed Helicobacter pylori gastritis and mild duodenitis. After eradication of H pylori, there was a dramatic improvement in her growth and activity and upon 6 months follow- up there was no clinical or radiologic evidence of rickets.