Rickets is a condition in which children's bones soften and deteriorate as a result of a severe and long-term vitamin D deficit. Genetic abnormalities can also induce rickets. Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium and phosphorus from the diet by your child's body. Rickets is caused by a lack of vitamin D, which makes it difficult to maintain normal calcium and phosphorus levels in the bones.
The bone abnormalities linked with rickets can usually be corrected by increasing vitamin D or calcium in the diet. If your child's rickets is caused by another medical condition, he or she may require extra medications or treatment. Some rickets-related skeletal abnormalities may necessitate surgery to address.
Symptoms:
The following are some of the signs and symptoms of rickets:
- Growth that has been delayed
- Motor skills that are delayed
- Back pain, pelvic pain, and leg pain
- Muscle deterioration
- Rickets causes skeletal abnormalities by softening the portions of growing tissue at the ends of a child's bones (growth plates).
- Knees knocked or bowed legs
- Wrists and ankles thickened
- Projection of the breastbone
When should you see a doctor?
If your kid suffers bone pain, muscle weakness, or apparent skeletal defects, consult your doctor.
Causes:
Vitamin D is required for your child's body to absorb calcium and phosphorus from the diet. Rickets can develop if your child doesn't get enough vitamin D or if his or her body doesn't use it effectively. Rickets can be caused by a lack of calcium or a deficiency in calcium and vitamin D.
Vitamin D shortage can develop in children who do not acquire enough vitamin D from these two sources:
Sunlight:
When your child's skin is exposed to sunshine, it creates vitamin D. Children in developed countries, on the other hand, spends less time outside. They're also more likely to wear sunscreen, which helps the skin produce vitamin D by blocking the sun's rays.
Food:
Vitamin D is found in fish oil, egg yolks, and fatty fish like salmon and mackerel. Some foods and beverages, such as milk, cereal, and some fruit juices, now contain vitamin D.
Absorption difficulties:
Some children are born with or develop medical problems that interfere with the absorption of vitamin D by their bodies. Here are a few examples:
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- Problems with the kidneys
Factors that are at risk:
The following factors can raise a child's risk of rickets:
- Skin color is dark. Melanin, a pigment found in dark skin, reduces the skin's ability to synthesize vitamin D from sunshine.
- Vitamin D insufficiency in the mother during pregnancy.
- Latitudes in the north. Children who live in areas with less sunlight are at a higher risk of developing rickets.
- The delivery of a child too soon. Because they have less time to obtain vitamin D from their mothers in the womb, babies born before their due dates have lower vitamin D levels.
- Medications. Anti-seizure and antiretroviral medicines, which are used to treat HIV infections, appear to interfere with the body's ability to absorb vitamin D.
- Rickets can develop the following complications if left untreated
- Failure to develop
- Bone deformities are caused by an excessively bent spine
- Defects in the teeth
- Seizures
Diagnosis:
The doctor will gently touch on your child's bones during the exam to check for abnormalities. He or she will pay special attention to the following aspects of your child's:
- Skull: Rickets-affected babies have softer skull bones and may have a delay in the closure of soft areas (fontanels)
- Legs: While even healthy toddlers are a little bowlegged, rickets causes an excessive bending of the legs
- Chest: Some rickets patients have deformities in their rib cages, causing their breastbones to protrude and flatten
- Ankles and wrists: Children with rickets may have bigger or thicker wrists and ankles than normal
- Bone abnormalities can be shown on X-rays of the affected bones. Blood and urine tests can be used to confirm a rickets diagnosis and track therapy success.
Treatment:
- Vitamin D and calcium supplements can be used to cure most cases of rickets. Follow your child's doctor's dosing instructions. Vitamin D overdose can be dangerous.
- X-rays and blood tests will be used by your child's doctor to track his or her progress.
- Supplements and medication may be suggested if your child has a rare hereditary disease that causes low phosphorus levels
- Your doctor may recommend extra bracing to position your child's body appropriately as the bones mature in some cases of bowleg or spinal abnormalities. Skeletal abnormalities that are more severe may necessitate surgery
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