Rickets

Rickets Rickets... also known as Osteomalacia in children, a Vitamin D deficiency or Renal rickets, is a childhood disorder involving softening and weakening of the bones, primarily caused by lack of vitamin D, calcium, and or phosphate. Etiology: Vitamin D may be absorbed from food by the intestines or may be produced by the skin when the skin is exposed to sunlight. In its active form, vitamin D acts as a hormone to regulate calcium absorption from the intestine and to regulate levels of calcium and phosphate in the bones. Because vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, conditions that reduce digestion or absorption of fats will decrease the ability of vitamin D to be absorbed from the intestines. When the body is deficient in vitamin D, it is unable to properly regulate calcium and phosphate levels. If the blood levels of these minerals become too low, other body hormones may stimulate release of calcium and phosphate from the bones to the bloodstream to elevate the blood levels. Rickets is a bone disease that affects children when these deficiencies occur. It causes progressive softening and weakening of the bones\' structure. There is a loss of calcium and phosphate calcium, vitamin, rickets, levels, phosphate, deformities, bone, symptoms, low, bones, skeletal, renal, occur, disorders, disease, children, require, regulate, rare, phosphorus, people, minerals, deficient, corrected, causes, caused, cause, body, young, x-rays, while, weakening, unable, treatment, treated