Children using a special formula created for those affected by allergies could be at risk for developing Neocate rickets.

Rickets is a serious condition that has been connected to an allergy specific formula, Neocate, given to young children. Neocate is an infant formula for children who are allergic to soy, cow’s milk or who have other food allergies. The formula is manufactured by Nutritia and sold throughout the U.S. as well as the world.

A parent who is not familiar with rickets might not know the signs, but could find themselves in the midst of a doctor’s appointment after the child suffers a fracture for an unknown reason. Neocate formula could cause young consumers of the product to develop bone problems due to a lack of phosphorous that could develop into rickets.

Children who have low phosphate levels have a much higher risk of broken bones. Phosphate is required for appropriate bone strength, and when a child begins to develop low phosphorous levels this can translate to poor appetite, irregular breathing, weight gain, weight loss or muscle weakness.

Neocate Rickets

The problem was identified by recent studies that connected this formula to low phosphate levels and broken bone fractures. These sudden fractures can also be mistaken for child abuse if a parent is not aware of the connection between Neocate and rickets.

In March 2016, Neocate’s makers warned that babies who had allergies and were given Neocate formula as a result should be routinely monitored by pediatricians. The company has also been accused of failing to warn parents about studies that have connected this Neocate formula with broken bone fractures or the development of rickets.

Yale researchers released a study about Neocate rickets in 2017 after more than 50 children were diagnosed with low phosphate levels after taking the formula. The children’s diet consisted only of Neocate formula and x-rays identified under mineralization, bone fractures or rickets in 94 percent of the children.

The study researchers concluded that children taking Neocate should be closely monitored by pediatricians. Some of the symptoms of the Neocate rickets include broken bones, hypophosphatemia, unexplained bone fractures, and low phosphate levels. When phosphate is not properly absorbed by an infant’s body, the risk for rickets, broken bones and other issues is significantly increased.

According to some parents who have come forward with their concerns about Neocate rickets, some children have even developed bones fractures that cause permanent disfigurement.

Neocate rickets is connected with symptoms like weak or soft bones in children and can be caused directly by low phosphate levels. Some of the symptoms of rickets include bowed legs, poor growth, muscle weakness, pain, a projecting breast bone, and thickened ankles or wrists. Treatment for Neocate rickets can include surgery, but some of these deformities can also be permanent.