Rickets

Rickets – General Information

Rickets is a disease which implies the softening of the children’s bones which can lead to fractures and deformities. This is one of the most encountered childhood medical conditions in the majority of the developing countries. The cause which leads to Rickets is the vitamin D deficiency, but it has been proven that the deficiency of calcium from the diet may also lead to the appearance and development of this medical condition. Although the majority of the cases appear in children who are suffering from malnutrition in its severe form, adults may also contract this medical disease and the causes are famine and starvation from the childhood stages. The vitamin D is needed in the organism for proper calcium absorption from the gut. When there is a lack of vitamin D the calcium from the diet can not be properly absorbed leading to hypocalcemia which results in the dental and skeletal deformities and also in neuromuscular symptoms.

The persons who are at a risk of developing Rickets are the breast-fed infants who have mothers which do not expose themselves enough sunlight, the breast-fed infants who are not exposed to the sun light and the persons who do not consume fortified milk (such as those who have intolerance to lactose). The persons who are red-haired are at a smaller risk of developing this disease as they have a bigger production of vitamin D in the sunlight. A physical exam can reveal tenderness and pain in the bones, but the doctors or personal health care providers will submit the patients to other tests and analysis before establishing the diagnosis.

Rickets – Symptoms

It is well known the fact that any medical disorder (including Rickets) can trigger a variety of symptoms. Therefore, some of this medical condition's most uncommon symptoms have not been listed (mentioned) here. This is why we strongly recommend you to contact your personal health care provider whenever you develop any unusual, bothersome or unpleasant symptoms. Your personal physician will be able to tell you if you are suffering from this medical disorder. Here is a list of the most common symptoms that a person who suffers from Rickets, may experience, although each individual experiences them differently: bone pain and tenderness in the arms, legs, spine and pelvis, skeletal deformities in the bowlegs, bumps in the rib cage, spine deformities, pelvic deformities, asymmetrical or odd-shaped skull, increased tendency to bone fractures, dental deformities such as delayed teeth formation, defects in the structure of the teeth, dental caries, progressive weakness, loss of muscle strength, impaired growth, muscle cramps and short stature. The skeletal deformities in toddlers are the bowed legs and in older children are knock knees. Other symptoms include hypocalcemia, tetany (meaning uncontrolled muscle spasms no matter the region of the body). The long term consequences of this medical condition include a permanent bend and even disfiguration of the long bones and also a curved back. Anyone who experiences the symptoms listed above is advised to contact the doctor or personal health care provider as soon as possible in order to avoid the consequences of this medical condition.

Rickets – Treatment

Your doctor or personal health care provider can diagnose the Rickets after a series of blood tests which in this type of cases will reveal low levels of calcium, low levels of phosphorus serum and high levels of alkaline phosphatase serum. Also the arterial blood gases may reveal metabolic acidosis and the X-rays of the bones which are affected can also reveal a loss of calcium in the bones and changes in the shape and the structure of the bones. The bone biopsy is performed in rare cases but it usually confirms the presence of this condition. The goals of the Rickets’ treatment are aimed to relieve the pain and symptoms and correct as much as possible the cause which lead to this condition. The underlying cause needs to be treated in order to prevent the recurrence. The majority of the symptoms are usually ameliorated or even eliminated by replacing the deficiency of calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D. The dietary sources of vitamin D include processed milk, liver and fish. The patients are also recommended to expose themselves moderately to the sunlight. In order to treat the Rickets which are caused by a metabolic abnormality usually requires a special prescription of the vitamin D. In order to prevent and to reduce the deformities the patients must be attentive to their position and bracing. A part of the skeletal deformities which may be caused by this medical condition are usually corrected during surgery.

The most common forms of vitamin D which are usually recommended are Cholecalciferol (also known as vitamin D3) and Ergocalciferol (also known as vitamin D2). As we said before the treatment for the patients who are suffering from Rickets involves increasing the dietary intake of phosphates, vitamin D and calcium. The doctors say that a sufficient amount of the ultraviolet light from the sun every day and the adequate intake of calcium and phosphates can prevent the appearance and development of Rickets. Also, the babies who have darker skin should be exposed to the sun light longer. The vitamin D can be replaced with ultraviolet light therapy and medicines at the doctor’s recommendation. The doctors usually recommend no more than 200 units of vitamin D in the children, because the children who do not have an adequate intake of vitamin D are at a risk of developing this medical condition. Many doctors believe that the children who are breast-fed do not get enough vitamin D from the mothers’ milk, and this is why they recommend that the children who are breast-fed to take vitamin D supplements from the age of two months. Other drugs which are recommended in the cases of the patients who are suffering from Rickets include DHT – this is a form of vitamin D which helps the patients to keep their bones and teeth healthy and Rocaltrol – this is also a form of vitamin D which helps the patients to treat some conditions which are caused by high or low parathyroid hormones levels.