What is Rickets?

Rickets is a disease characterized by an abnormal bone formation in children resulting from inadequate calcium in their bones. This lack of calcium can result from inadequate dietary calcium, inadequate intake of vitamin D, or inadequate exposure to sunshine, needed to naturally produce vitamin D in the body. Rickets occurs when there is a failure of osteoid, a protein mixture secreted by osteoblasts in the body, to calcify or mineralize properly in a growing person.

In many cases, rickets is associated with pain or soreness in bones such as the arms, legs, spine or pelvis. Skeletal deformities and/or dental deformities are also symptoms of this disease. Other less noticeable symptoms include increased tendency towards bone fractures, muscle cramps and impaired growth.

What causes rickets?

In the body, the relationship of minerals to vitamins is extremely important. For bone formation, vitamin D is used to regulate calcium absorption from the intestine and to regulate levels of calcium and phosphate in the bones. If there is a deficiency of Vitamin D, the body is unable to properly regulate calcium and phosphate levels. When the blood levels of these minerals become too low, it results in destruction of the support matrix of the bones. Rickets is most likely to occur during periods of rapid growth, when the body demands high levels of calcium and phosphate.

Prevention

A dietary lack of vitamin D may occasionally occur in people on a vegetarian diet who do not drink milk products or in people who are lactose intolerant (have trouble digesting milk products). A dietary lack of calcium and phosphorous may also play a part in the nutritional causes of rickets. Rickets caused by a dietary lack of these minerals is rare in developed countries because calcium and phosphorous are present in milk and green vegetables.
Hereditary rickets is an inherited form of the disease caused when the kidneys are unable to retain phosphate. Rickets may also be caused by kidney disorders involving renal tubular acidosis. Occasionally, it can also affect children who have disorders of the liver, do not adequately absorb fats and vitamin D, or cannot convert vitamin D to its active form. Renal osteodystrophy occurs in people with chronic renal failure. The manifestation is virtually identical to that of rickets in children and that of osteomalacia or osteoporosis in adults.
• Ensure an adequate calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D intake for infants and children
• If you are breastfeeding, ensure adequate calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D intake which meets the relevant dietary recommendations in the country or region concerned. If you experience any symptoms of rickets, consult a physician immediately.