Rickets in Children
On this page, you’ll find everything you need to know about rickets.
What is Rickets?
Rickets is a condition that affects bone growth in children, causing bone pain, stunted growth, and bone weakness, which can lead to bone deformities.
What are the Symptoms of Rickets?
- Signs and symptoms of rickets can include:
- Pain: The bones affected by rickets can be painful. This can prevent the child from walking or cause them to tire easily, and their walking pattern might be different (waddling).
- Skeletal Deformities: This includes thickening of the ankles, wrists, and knees, bowed legs, soft skull bones, and, rarely, curvature of the spine.
- Dental Problems: These include weak tooth enamel, delayed tooth emergence, and an increased risk of dental cavities.
- Stunted Growth and Development: If the skeleton does not grow and develop properly, the child will be shorter than the average normal height.
Bone Fragility: In severe cases, the bones become weaker and more prone to fractures.
Some children with rickets might also have low levels of calcium in the blood (hypocalcemia). This can worsen the symptoms of rickets and may also cause muscle cramps, tingling in the hands and feet, and seizures.
- What Causes Rickets?
- Rickets typically occurs due to a deficiency in vitamin D or calcium, although it can also be caused by a genetic defect or another health condition. Any child who does not receive enough vitamin D or calcium can develop rickets, but some groups of children are at greater risk.
- For example, rickets is more common in children of Asian, African-Caribbean, and Middle Eastern descent because their darker skin requires more sunlight to produce sufficient vitamin D.
- Premature babies are at risk of developing rickets because it is assumed that infants store vitamin D while in the womb.
- Breastfed babies, especially beyond six months, might also be at risk of vitamin D deficiency.
- Genetic Defect: Rare forms of rickets can occur due to certain genetic disorders.
Sometimes, rickets develops in children with rare forms of kidney, liver, and intestinal diseases. These can affect vitamin and mineral absorption.
How is Rickets Diagnosed?:
- Doctors gather the medical history and conduct a clinical examination, and they may also request additional procedures as needed, such as:
- A blood test can usually confirm the diagnosis of rickets.
- X-rays.
Bone density test: This type of X-ray measures the calcium content in the bones.
How is Rickets Treated?
- Treatment involves several procedures or whatever is necessary, and may include:
- Consuming more foods rich in calcium and vitamin D.
- Taking daily supplements of calcium and vitamin D.
- Sunlight also helps bodies produce vitamin D, so increasing the amount of time the child spends outside for safe sun exposure may be advised.
- The doctor will recommend the amount of vitamin D and calcium the child needs. This depends on the child’s age and the cause of rickets. If the child has issues absorbing vitamins, they may need a higher dose.
- When rickets occurs as a complication of another medical condition, treating the underlying condition often treats the rickets.
- If the child has a bone deformity caused by rickets, such as bowed legs or spinal curvature, the doctor may suggest treatment to correct it, which might include surgery.
- In cases of genetic rickets, a combination of phosphate supplements and a specific form of vitamin D is required to treat vitamin D deficiency. Here, the genetic defect causes an imbalance in how the kidneys and bones handle phosphate.
Children with other types of genetic rickets require very large amounts of a special type of vitamin D treatment.
How Can Rickets Be Prevented?
- There are many steps that can be taken to help prevent rickets. These include ensuring the child:
- Has a healthy and balanced diet.
- Spends some time outside in the sunlight.
Takes a vitamin D supplement.
Children from birth to one year need 8.5 to 10 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin D daily unless they are fed 500 ml or more of formula milk daily. Children from their first year and adults need 10 micrograms of vitamin D daily.
- What are the Complications of Rickets?
Rickets causes softened and weakened bones in children, which can lead to bone deformities.
When Should You See a Doctor?
If your child exhibits any signs or symptoms of rickets, such as bone pain, delayed growth, muscle weakness, or skeletal problems, you should take them to a doctor for a medical evaluation.
Frequently Asked Questions:
I am breastfeeding my child without using formula or vitamin D supplements. Is this enough to prevent rickets in my child?
