Rickets is a rare condition which affects children. It is a disorder which affects bone development in the children. The symptoms of rickets soften and weaken bones in children which result in regular fractures, abnormality legs, decreasing the bone strength and many others. Rickets is caused due to a high amount of Vitamin D Deficiency among kids. The symptoms of rickets are various and are mentioned below.
Children affected with rickets have difficulties in learning, walking if not treated at the correct time. Early stage treatment will prevent rickets.
Types of Rickets:
There are majorly 3 types of rickets and its affects depend on the symptoms of rickets.
1.Vitamin D deficiency rickets: It causes due to the vitamin D deficiency in the children. It is widely seen defect among children around the globe.
2.Hypocalcemia Rickets: It causes when there is a low level of blood calcium in the body along with vitamin D. It results in many deformities in the body such as bone, teeth, nervous system, etc.
3.Hypophosphatemic Rickets: It is also known as vitamin d resistant rickets. It is a rare type of rickets which causes due to the genetic disorders in the kidney which effects on the process of phosphates. This ends up in causing low phosphate levels which weaken and softens bones.
Causes of Rickets:
The causes of rickets are due to the extreme Vitamin D Deficiency. Rickets occurs when a child doesn't get enough Vitamin D supply to the body or if the child is unable to utilize the provided vitamin D in the body. In some cases, causes of Rickets are due to the lack of calcium levels in the body. If there is an insufficient calcium level along with Vitamin D deficiency also causes Rickets.
Cause of Vitamin D Deficiency:
The lack of Vitamin D in children causes due to the below mentioned 2 major reasons. If a child is unable to consume any of these, then he/she will definitely get Rickets.
1.Sunlight: When skin is exposed to sunlight, the skin produces Vitamin D. Sunlight exposure doesn't mean in day a time. Sunlight provides positive energy in the early morning times. Hence, our ancestors, especially in India follows to take newly born infants into the sunlight to increase Vitamin D content. Every day sunlight exposure for at least 15 min is needed for children.
2.Food: Allow kids to consume more Vitamin D content food such as fatty fish, egg yolks, milk, cereals, some fruit juices, vegetables in every meal.
Who gets affected by Rickets?
Rickets is most commonly seen in the past days. But, now it has decreased rapidly in western world from the 20th century because of the food changes and fortified foods such as margarine and cereals with Vitamin D. Recently, Rickets is been increased in the UK. Child with improper diet, less intake of vitamin D, decrease in calcium levels develops Rickets. Rickets can also cause in children who are premature babies or child with some sort of medication which prevents vitamin D. Dark skin child should be more exposure to sunlight to grab enough vitamin D.
Risk Factors of Rickets:
The following are the factor which increases the risk factors of rickets and develops Symptoms of Rickets.
- Dark skin children who cannot absorb vitamin D as they need more exposure to sunlight.
- Premature Birth.
- Vitamin D deficiency in Mother during pregnancy.
- Northern Latitudes where sunlight exposure is very less.
- Medications which prevents or decreases the vitamin D levels in the body.
- Children with Malnutrition who doesn't get enough nutrients due to the lack of healthy food intake.
Signs and Symptoms of Rickets:
Signs and symptoms of rickets can be identified in many ways. Here are the few listed signs and symptoms of rickets.
- Bone Pain
- Frequent Bone fractures
- Low calcium blood levels
- Soft skull (craniotabes)
- Affects or difficulties in child physical growth
- Deformities in spinal, pelvic or carnival
- Bowed legs (genu varum) in toddlers
- Wrists widening
- Projection in Breastbone
Diagnosis of Rickets:
Diagnosis of rickets is done by a procedure to identify with the provided symptoms of rickets and know the type of the rickets with the following tests.
- Blood tests - To know the calcium and phosphatase levels in the blood.
- Bone biopsy - Toconfirm ricketss (which is used in rare conditions).
- Urine Test - To confirm the diagnosis of rickets
- X-Rays to check the below parts for the difficulties, abnormalities and symptoms of rickets.
- Skull
- Legs
- Chest
- Wrist and ankles
Treatment of Rickets:
The best treatment to prevent and cure rickets is following a proper diet for rickets. The treatment of rickets is purely based on symptoms of rickets. The treatment process is provided below. Rickets are successfully treating many children since 1930 all over the globe.
- Initially, rickets treatments start with any of the supplements of calcium, vitamin D, phosphate depending on the type of the rickets.
- Skeletal deformities are observed in brain, Doctors may have to brace the brain to keep the bones in the right position. If the disorder is in severe condition, then a brain surgery is needed.
{ Also Read: Do you know why this Vitamin d important for every one }
How to prevent Rickets?
Rickets can be prevented in natural and organic way according to the symptoms of rickets. Rickets can be prevented by following the mentioned steps to infants and children.
- Maintain a proper diet.
- Take child into the sun in early mornings for some time.
- If doctor prescribes, give vitamin D supplements for the child
- Go for regular checkups to known the vitamin levels.
- Try to add more vitamin D, calcium, phosphate foods to the child menu to increase the respective levels in the body.
- As kids are sensitive there should be extra care on the foods provided. Always choose organic, natural and healthy foods.
- Keep kids away from processed, ready-made, unhealthy junk foods.
Complications of Rickets: If the rickets is untreated and left for prolonged duration, It increases the lifetime complications in a child life which may not be cured or prevented ones a child is grown up depending on the symptoms of rickets.
- Growth failures
- Abnormally spine cure
- Skeletal deformities
- Defects in dental
- Seizures
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Auther's Bio: Ashreetha Pendkar Is a Healthcare writer, trainer and Digital marketing expert, she loves to read healthcare content and spreading her words about the importance of the health to near & dears.
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