Rickets

Is a softening of the bones in children potentially leading to fractures and deformity.

Malformation of the bones in growing children due to deficiency of vitamin D, leading to poor absorption of calcium. In adults the equivalent is osteomalacia. Vitamin D resistant rickets does not respond to normal amounts of the vitamin but requires massive doses. Usually a result of a congenital defect in the vitamin D receptor, or metabolism of the vitamin; it can also be due to poisoning with strontium.

A condition characterized by improper development of bones and teeth resulting from a severe deficiency of vitamin D.

A disease of children, where the bones are soft and do not develop properly due to lack of Vitamin D.

Deformation or defective formation of bones, especially in children, as a result of deficiency of vitamin D or calcium.

Bone malformation usually due to inadequate intake of vitamins and minerals; some forms of this disease are due to renal disease, while other forms may be due to certain toxins.

A deficiency disease, in which lack of sufficient calcium and phosphate results in deformation of a growing child’s bones, especially bowing of the legs, flattening of the soft skull and feet, and deformation of the spine, giving a “pot-belly” appearance; in adults the same deficiency is called osteomalacia. Often associated with rickets are other bone disorders, such as scoliosis and kyphosis, a tendency to fractures, and developmental delay, as in the motor skills of crawling and walking. Rickets is most often caused by lack of vitamin D, which is necessary for calcium to be transported to and made into bone, and is generally found among children in underdeveloped countries who have both an unbalanced diet and too little sunlight (a main nonfood source of vitamin D). But rickets can occur in other children as well. Premature babies are vulnerable to the disease, as are children whose families have a restricted diet, such as a vegetarian diet that has not adequately provided for vitamin D. Mothers who are breastfeeding are often advised to give the baby a vitamin D supplement—as breast milk alone is an inadequate source of vitamin D—but only under a doctor’s direction, since too much can result in excess calcium, or hypercalcemia. Achondroplasia, a mostly hereditary bone disorder, is sometimes called fetal rickets, but its origins are not the same.

Condition caused by a deficiency of vitamin D, calcium, and/or phosphorus, occurring primarily in children and characterized by abnormal bone formation and resulting skeletal deformities, often accompanied by muscle pain and spleen and liver enlargement. Prevention and treatment include a diet adequate in calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D and adequate exposure to sunlight.

A bone disease found primarily in children who don’t receive enough vitamin D to allow the proper hardening of bones.

A disease affecting the bones in the skeleton, characterized by inadequate calcium and phosphate in the bones. Rickets is usually caused by a severe deficiency of vitamin D; it occurs mainly in infancy and childhood if milk or vitamin D-fortified beverages are not consumed and exposure to sunlight is limited. Symptoms include bowlegs and knock-knees, nodular enlargements on the bones, muscle pain, profuse sweating, chest deformities, spinal curvature, and enlargement of the skull, liver, and spleen. The bones may be tender when touched. Treatment is with a diet rich in calcium, vitamin D, and phosphorus. Adequate exposure to sunlight is also beneficial.

A disease of children in which the bones do not harden and are malformed due to a deficiency of vitamin D. Without vitamin D not enough calcium salts are deposited in the bones to make them rigid. They are therefore softer than normal and bend out of shape.

A disease of childhood characterized chiefly by softened condition of the bones, and by other evidence of poor nutrition.

A disease of bone formation in children, most commonly the result of vitamin D deficiency, marked by inadequate mineralization of developing cartilage and newly formed bone, causing abnormalities in the shape, structure, and strength of the skeleton. This condition may be prevented by exposure to ultraviolet light (sunlight or artificial light) and administration of vitamin D in quantities that provide 400 I.U. of vitamin D activity per day. Vitamin D deficiency disease in adults is known as osteomalacia.

Insufficient mineralization of bones resulting from a dearth of vitamin D in youngsters and adolescents in the midst of developmental growth.

In the realm of health and nutrition, there exists a condition that arises as a result of inadequate dietary intake of essential elements such as vitamin D, calcium, and often phosphorus. This condition primarily manifests during infancy and childhood, exhibiting distinct abnormalities in the formation of bones.

A condition that occurs in children due to a lack of essential nutrients, leading to malformed bones. The bones deform because they don’t receive enough calcium and phosphate during their growth phase. In adults, a similar deficiency in calcium and phosphate can lead to a condition called osteomalacia.

The primary reason for rickets is a lack of vitamin D, which is crucial for absorbing calcium from the digestive system into the bloodstream and for its proper integration into bones. Vitamin D is present in fatty animal-based foods like oily fish, butter, egg yolks, and liver. It’s also found in small quantities in both human and animal milk. Additionally, the body can produce vitamin D when the skin is exposed to sunlight.

Rickets can sometimes arise as a secondary issue from a digestive condition that leads to malabsorption, which is the inability to properly absorb nutrients from the gut. It can also manifest in rare instances of kidney and liver diseases.