Rickets

Also called: Rachitis

Summary

Rickets causes soft, weak bones in children. It usually occurs when they do not get enough vitamin D, which helps growing bones absorb the minerals calcium and phosphorous. It can also happen when calcium or phosphorus levels are too low.

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. Symptoms include bone pain or tenderness, impaired growth, and deformities of the bones and teeth. Your child's doctor uses lab and imaging tests to make the diagnosis. Treatment is replacing the calcium, phosphorus, or vitamin D that are lacking in the diet. Rickets is rare in the United States.

Learn More

Bowlegs and Knock-Knees (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
Mineral and Bone Disorder in Chronic Kidney Disease (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
Rickets (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Rickets (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Rickets (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Vitamin D (National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements) Also in Spanish
Vitamin D Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Genetics

Hereditary hypophosphatemic rickets: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Vitamin D-dependent rickets: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Rickets (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Rickets, Hypophosphatemic (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Patient Handouts

Rickets (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

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National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Rickets is the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements

Disclaimers

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