Rickets: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, Prevention

The child with rickets has too-soft bones, which makes them more prone to warping, bending, and breaking.

The adult condition osteomalacia, which is similar to rickets but different, is not rickets. Since children's bones are still growing and the classic symptom of bowed or bent bones results from this, rickets only affects youngsters. Adults don't experience this symptom (unless they had untreated rickets as children), as their bones have already finished developing.

Read this blog further to get a quick overview of this important topic for PEDIATRICS and ace your NEET PG exam preparation.

Symptoms of Rickets

• Leg bones bowing.
• A broadening of the wrists in infants who can crawl or the knees in children who can walk.
• A bone ache.
• The term "rachitic rosary" refers to rib end swelling that resembles rosary beads under the skin(Where the breastbone protrudes upward or outward; pigeon chest).
• Growth is slow(unusual spinal curves or a peculiar skull form)
• Tooth issues like cavities(In extreme circumstances where calcium levels are extremely low) 
• Seizures.

Causes of Rickets

• Rickets typically result from dietary issues or heredity.
• Nutritional rickets: This condition is typically brought on by inadequate vitamin D intake, which your body needs to absorb calcium. Among the factors contributing to this deficit are:
• Inadequate exposure to sunshine, which is necessary for your body to produce vitamin D.
• Vitamin D deficiency in your child's diet. This may occur if your child consumes a vegetarian or vegan diet, has a lactose sensitivity, or has a medical condition (such Crohn's disease, celiac disease, cystic fibrosis, or ulcerative colitis) that limits how much vitamin D their body can absorb.
• An extremely low-calcium diet.
• Inheritable rickets Numerous genetic disorders prevent your child's body from absorbing vitamin D. Your body's capacity to handle phosphorus is also impacted by further hereditary disorders.
• A lack of vitamin D, calcium, or phosphate, which are necessary for young children's bone formation, can cause rickets. A skeletal condition called rickets can lead to pain, painful bone abnormalities, and issues with growth. The causes, signs, and treatment of rickets in children will be covered in this blog.

Diagnosis of Rickets

There are various methods for rickets diagnosis. The following tests may be requested if your child's pediatrician suspects rickets based on a physical examination or symptoms:

• X-rays.
• Blood analysis.
• Testing urine.
• Bone biopsies (done very infrequently).
• Testing for inherited rickets using genetics.

Treatment of Rickets

• Food Choices. High levels of vitamin D from the diet or supplements are typically required for this. Depending on the severity of the condition and other considerations, these doses may be administered for a number of months. Once the higher doses are no longer required, your pediatrician may also advise taking a typical daily vitamin D pill.
• Sunlight. Encouragement to go outside and soak up some sun is likely because your body can naturally produce vitamin D when you've been exposed to sunlight.
• Surgery. Your child's bones will often align themselves over time. Children who have particularly severe cases of bone bending might need to wear braces to help fix it. 

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Prevention of Rickets

• Sunshine: Your body produces vitamin D when exposed to sunshine, so if you spend a lot of time indoors (or if you just go outside with sunscreen on), It will be more difficult for people with darker skin to manufacture vitamin D.
• In pregnant females: As directed by your doctor, take a vitamin D supplement. Vitamin D intake of at least 600 IUs per day is generally advised. However, your physician can advise you to take up to 2,000 IUs every day. In order to avoid bone loss later in life, they could also suggest that you take a calcium supplement.
• Infants: Most pharmacies carry vitamin D supplement drops. 400 IUs of vitamin D per day should be given to all breastfeeding newborns.
• Foods high in vitamin D: Many types of fish are very high in vitamin D, particularly sockeye salmon and rainbow trout. Additionally, vitamin D is "fortified"—that is, added—to a number of foods. Cereals, milk, and orange juice are frequently fortified in this manner.
• Adequate intake of vitamin D, calcium, and phosphate Adequate intake of vitamin D, calcium, and phosphate is crucial for the prevention of rickets. Vitamin D is primarily obtained through exposure to sunlight, but it can also be obtained from dietary sources such as fatty fish,both enriched cereals and egg yolks. 
• Dairy products, leafy green vegetables, and fortified foods all include calcium, which is necessary for bone growth and preservation. In addition to being essential for bone growth, phosphorus can be found in dairy products, pork, fish, and poultry.

This is everything that you need to know about rickets  for your PEDIATRICS PREPARATION. For more interesting and informative blog posts like this download the PrepLadder App and keep reading our blog!