Rickets: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment
الكساح عند الأطفال
Rickets impairs mineralization of growing bones and may cause pain, deformity or poor growth. Vitamin D or calcium deficiency can cause it, but not every case has the same cause or requires the same supplement dose.
What is Rickets?
Rickets affects growing children, whereas osteomalacia occurs after growth plates close. Other bone conditions can resemble it; bowed legs alone do not confirm the diagnosis.
Related reading: Assessing faltering physical growth.
Symptoms
Bone pain, muscle weakness, delayed movement or growth, bowed legs or widened wrists may occur. Severe low calcium can cause spasms or seizures requiring urgent care.
Causes
Causes include inadequate intake or absorption, kidney disease, altered phosphate or vitamin D metabolism and inherited disorders. Establishing the cause is especially important when expected treatment does not work.
Risk factors
Nutritional risk rises with inadequate vitamin D or calcium, malabsorption or some medicines. Kidney disease or a family history may suggest another cause requiring specialist care.
Diagnosis
Assessment combines growth and bone examination with targeted calcium, phosphate, enzyme and vitamin D testing, sometimes with X-rays. A vitamin D measurement alone cannot explain every case of rickets.
Treatment
Treatment may involve vitamin D and calcium or specialist treatment for phosphate or kidney disorders. Dose, duration and monitoring depend on age and results. Excess supplementation is toxic, and sunlight alone is not adequate treatment.
Complications
Untreated disease can cause deformity, impaired growth or increased fracture risk. Many cases improve with appropriate treatment; severe skeletal changes may need orthopedic follow-up or additional intervention.
Prevention
Provide age-appropriate calcium intake and follow vitamin D advice matched to age, feeding and risk. Avoid harmful sun exposure and combining overlapping supplements without checking their contents.
When to see a doctor
Arrange pediatric review for increasing bowing, bone pain or poor growth. Spasms, seizures, breathing difficulty or sudden inability to walk require urgent assessment.