Child Abuse Pediatricians Destroying Families by Diagnosing “Abuse” When Medical Condition is Rickets
The method of diagnosing rickets in infants has been proven to be incorrect, yet it is still considered the standard practice used by child abuse pediatricians to diagnose abuse in infants and children with blatant disregard for laboratory testing showing a vitamin D deficiency or other metabolic bone disease. The diagnosis of rickets in infants is left solely on a radiologist, despite blood tests showing deficiency, insufficiency, and efficient vitamin D levels. The American Academy of Pediatrics: Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect (AAPCCAN) has issued guidelines for the evaluation of children with multiple unexplained fractures, concluding they are almost always due to abuse. However, common sense questions still need answering: Why would abusive parents repeatedly seek medical care for the infant they abused? Why would chest trauma severe enough to fracture ribs not also results in lung damage? Why wouldn’t blunt chest trauma cause some inwardly angulated rib fractures instead of all perfectly aligned fracture ends? Wouldn’t parents who beat their infant severely enough to cause multiple fractures show evidence of psychopathology? Do infants who are beaten severely enough to cause multiple fractures show fear in the presence of the abuser? How often do the eyewitnesses to parental/infant interactions report the parents were concerned and loving parents?
