Vitamin D deficiency rickets in Riyadh.

Despite the fact that much of Saudi Arabia is sunny throughout most of the year, vitamin D deficiency rickets is not rare. Different factors are responsible for this phenomenon, especially nutritiona, social, and maternal vitamin D deficiency. We identified 500 cases of rickets out of a total of 27,236 hospital admissions, and followed at Suleimania Children's Hospital in Riyadh over three years (1986 to 1988).