rickets
a disease affecting children that involves a deficiency of VITAMIN D . Vitamin D can be manufactured in the skin in the presence of sunlight, but dietary sources are important especially where sunlight is lacking. The disease is characterized by soft BONES that bend out of shape and cause deformities. Bones are hardened by the deposition of calcium salts and this cannot happen in the absence of vitamin D. Treatment consists of giving vitamin D, usually in the form of CALCIFEROL , and ensuring that there is an adequate amount in the child's future diet. Vitamin D deficiency in adults causes the condition called OSTEOMALACIA .
Rickets causes soft, weak bones in children. It usually occurs when they do not get enough vitamin D, which helps growing bones absorb the minerals calcium and phosphorous. It can also happen when calcium or phosphorus levels are too low.
Your child might not get enough vitamin D if he or she:
- Has dark skin
- Spends too little time outside
- Has on sunscreen all the time when out of doors
- Doesn't eat foods containing vitamin D because of lactose intolerance or a strict vegetarian diet
- Is breastfed without receiving vitamin D supplements
- Can't make or use vitamin D because of a medical disorder such as celiac disease
In addition to dietary rickets, children can get an inherited form of the disease. Symptoms include bone pain or tenderness, impaired growth, and deformities of the bones and teeth. Your child's doctor uses lab and imaging tests to make the diagnosis. Treatment is replacing the calcium, phosphorus, or vitamin D that are lacking in the diet. Rickets is rare in the United States.
rickets