Clinical Study Title:
Pathological long-bone fractures in residents with cerebral palsy in a long-term care facility in South Africa.

Plain English Summary:

Many patients who suffer from cerebral palsy often have multiple bone fractures. This study looked at this statistic in depth to try to determine a cause and an effective treatment. Participants were mostly children and young adults living in a residential care facility. A daily supplement of vitamin D was given over a period of 3 months, and after this time, there was a significant decrease in the number of fractures experienced by participants. This suggests that vitamin D deficiency plays a role in the number of fractures many residential care residents suffer, and that a daily supplement including vitamin D should be considered for all residential care patients.

Authors

Bischof F. Basu D. Pettifor JM.

Institution

Department of Physiotherapy, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Country of Publication

England

Source

Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology. 44(2):119-22, 2002 Feb.