Also called: Also called: Rachitis
Rickets causes soft, weak bones in children. It usually occurs when they do not get enough vitamin D, which helps growing bones absorb important nutrients. Vitamin D comes from sunlight and food. Your skin produces vitamin D in response to the sun's rays. Some foods also contain vitamin D, including fortified dairy products and cereals, and some kinds of fish. Your child might not get enough vitamin D if he or she
- Has dark skin
- Spends too little time outside
- Has on sunscreen all the time when out of doors
- Doesn't eat foods containing vitamin D because of lactose intolerance or a strict vegetarian diet
- Is breastfed without receiving vitamin D supplements
- Can't make or use vitamin D because of a medical disorder such as celiac disease
In addition to dietary rickets, children can get an inherited form of the disease.
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Rickets: What It Is and How It's Treated(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/children/parents/special/bone/902.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/children/parents/special/bone/902.printerview.html
- Rickets(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/rickets/DS00813/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Bone Scan: Using Nuclear Medicine to Find Bone Abnormalities(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/bone-scan/CA00020/METHOD=print
- Vitamin D Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/vitamin_d/test.html
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Vitamin D
(National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements) - http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp
- Vitamin D Deficiency Clinical Report: Patient FAQs(American Academy of Pediatrics) - http://www.aap.org/family/vitdpatients.htm
- Hypophosphatemic Rickets(Merck & Co., Inc.) - http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec11/ch146/ch146g.html
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Renal Osteodystrophy(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/renalosteodystrophy/
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Rickets(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Rickets%22
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Guided growth for pathological physes: radiographic improvement during realignment. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18724199&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Vitamin D deficiency in children and its management: review of... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18676559&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Treatment of reduced bone density with ibandronate in dialysis patients. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18651540&tool=MedlinePlus
- Rickets -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(rickets[majr]+OR+hypophosphatemia,familial[majr])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- American Academy of Pediatrics - http://www.aap.org/
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National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements - http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/
- Bones, Joints and Muscles - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bonesjointsandmuscles.html
- Metabolic Problems - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/metabolicproblems.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Rickets is the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements - http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/