Rickets is a disorder most parents have heard about but perhaps do not really understand. Though generally associated with the past, it can still occur in children today when nutrition is bad or sunlight exposure is minimal. However, what is rickets disease? This condition affects bone mineralisation in growing children, causing the bones to become soft, weak, and unable to develop properly. If the bones do not harden as they should, children may experience bowed legs, delayed growth, pain in the bones, and other skeletal deformities. Early recognition of its symptoms, along with knowledge of its causes, may greatly help in the prevention of long-term complications.
Understanding what causes rickets disease can help parents and caregivers take appropriate measures for its prevention. Rickets may be due to nutritional deficiencies, disorders, or hereditary factors.
The most common cause of rickets is a lack of vitamin D, often associated with calcium and phosphate deficiencies. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, a nutrient needed to build and strengthen bones. Without it, bones may be soft and vulnerable. Nutritional rickets frequently results from:
● Poor nutrition that lacks vitamin D, calcium, or phosphate
● Absence of sunlight, because it helps the body to synthesise vitamin D
● Highly restrictive diets, like vegan diets without proper supplementation
● Malnutrition, particularly in rapidly growing children.
Some children, even on a good diet, develop rickets. In such cases, certain medical or genetic conditions may be involved.
● Inherited phosphate disorders including X-linked hypophosphatemia
● Kidney diseases, which affect mineral processing.
● Liver disorders interfere with vitamin D activation.
● Conditions of malabsorption, including celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, or chronic diarrhoea
Children prone to rickets include the following:
● Exclusively breastfed infants without vitamin D supplementation
● Darker-skinned children have a higher melanin level, which reduces vitamin D synthesis.
● Living in areas where sunlight is scarce, the winters are long, and/or spending all of their time indoors.
● Diets low in dairy products, fish, or fortified foods
● Babies born prematurely, who have lower mineral stores
Parents often ask, what are rickets symptoms, and how early can they be noticed. Symptoms vary depending on the severity, age, and cause of this condition, but common signs include:
These are the most visible symptoms and include:
● Bowed legs or knock knees
● Hunched back
● Thickened wrists and ankles
● Abnormalities in the ribcage, including “rachitic rosary” where ribs meet the cartilage
● Skull deformities, including soft skull bones (craniotabes)
Rickets is a disease caused by a lack of vitamin D, calcium, or phosphate. It leads to softening and weakening of the bones, affecting the normal growth process and resulting in:
● Growth retardation and short stature
● Delayed motor milestones like sitting, crawling, or walking
● Weak muscles and low muscle tone
Children may also show:
● Bone pain or tenderness
● Frequent fractures due to weak bones
● Dental issues like delayed eruption, defective enamel, and dental caries.
If any of these signs appear, medical evaluation is important for early diagnosis.
The diagnosis of rickets involves the integration of physical findings, laboratory tests and imaging studies.
Skeletal deformities, tenderness of bones, retarded growth, or muscle weakness are looked for by a paediatrician.
Blood tests help identify the underlying cause. These generally check:
● Vitamin D levels
● Calcium
● Phosphate
● Alkaline phosphatase-usually high in rickets
Imaging reveals the following:
● Widened growth plates
● Bone Softening
● Classic deformities associated with rickets
Timely diagnosis ensures that proper treatment starts at an early stage before bone damage becomes irreversible.
Parents often ask what the cure for this is. Well, most cases are curable, especially when detected early.
Treatment of nutritional rickets primarily involves:
● Vitamin D supplements
● Calcium supplementation
● Phosphate supplements (if necessary)
● A diet rich in nutrients: dairy products, eggs, fish, fortified breakfast cereals, and leafy greens
● Safe sunlight exposure to help natural vitamin D production
Regular follow-up helps track the bone healing.
● Repeated blood tests
● Periodic X-rays
● Monitoring growth charts
● Most children show improvement within weeks to months.
The treatment may involve, for complex types like hypophosphatemic rickets:
● Active forms of vitamin D include calcitriol.
● Phosphate medications
● Orthopaedic care for severe deformities
● Collaboration between paediatrician, orthopaedist, endocrinologist, and nutritionist
Early intervention helps to prevent permanent skeletal deformities.
It is easier to prevent rickets rather than to treat it in severe conditions. Key prevention strategies include:
● Ensuring adequate intake of calcium and vitamin D from infancy
● Considering vitamin D supplements for the breastfed infant as recommended by a paediatrician
● Encouraging safe outdoor sunlight exposure
● Including fortified foods in the child's diet
● Monitoring of children with dietary restrictions, chronic illnesses, and limited exposure to the outdoors
● Routine paediatric follow-up to monitor growth and development
● If a child has delayed milestones or bone deformities, early evaluation is necessary.
When it comes to conditions such as bone deformities, stunted growth, or symptoms associated with rickets, treatment by a professional practitioner makes all the difference. Cloudnine boasts advanced paediatric services, child-friendly diagnostic systems, and experienced specialists who focus on early detection and comprehensive management of conditions like rickets. Their team guarantees individualised nutritional counselling, precise diagnostics for bone health, and multi-disciplinary interaction with orthopaedic and endocrine experts when necessary. With a warm atmosphere conducive to parents and children, Cloudnine provides day-to-day support to families in every respect, from prevention through active management to follow-up.
If you are still wondering, “what is the cure for rickets?” Rickets is usually preventable and treatable, with its main causes being deficiencies in vitamin D, calcium, or phosphate; however, it could also be due to genetic or medical conditions. The early signs are malformation of bones, delayed growth, and weakness in the muscles.
Early diagnosis and proper treatment will help avoid permanent skeletal problems and enable a child to grow normally. This can be prevented if there is proper nutrition, limited sunlight exposure, and timely consultation. Symptoms, concerns regarding growth, or questions related to bone health warrant consultation with a paediatric specialist.
Yes, nutritional rickets is highly treatable with vitamin D, calcium, proper diet, and sunlight. Genetic rickets can be managed effectively with specialised treatment.
Watch for bowed legs, delayed milestones, bone pain, poor muscle tone, or delayed development of teeth. These can be confirmed by the doctor through blood tests and X-rays.
Rickets most often affects infants and young children from 6 months to 3 years of age because growth is more rapid.
Yes. Severe deficiency can weaken bones, cause rickets in children, and lead to long-term skeletal problems if not treated.
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