rickets Facts For Kids

Rickets is a condition that makes a child’s bones soft or weak so they might bend or break more easily. It usually happens while bones are still growing, so children can have bowed legs, slow growth, or a large forehead.

Most often it happens because the body does not have enough vitamin D, a nutrient that helps bones take in calcium. Some children have rickets for other reasons, like not getting enough calcium or a rare inherited problem. Doctors can help most children get better. Would you like to know the signs to watch for?

A child with rickets may show several signs that you can see or feel. One common sign is bowed legs, where the lower legs curve outward when a child stands. Young babies can have soft spots on the skull and a big forehead.

Other signs include thick wrists or ankles, bumps along the ribs called a "rachitic rosary" (these are knobby rib joints), and pain or soreness in the bones. Low calcium from rickets can cause tight muscles or spasms. If rickets is not treated, some bone shapes may become harder to change.

Doctors usually check for rickets with simple blood tests and X-rays. Blood tests look at levels of calcium, phosphate, and a bone marker called alkaline phosphatase to see how the bones and minerals are working. X-rays show the shape of growing bones and can point to soft or weak areas.

There are different kinds of rickets: the common type caused by low vitamin D, rickets from low calcium or low phosphate, and rare inherited forms. Finding the right type helps doctors choose the best treatment for each child.

Rickets most often comes from not having enough vitamin D, which your skin can make when sunlight hits it. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium from foods like milk, eggs, and some fish. If a child spends little time outside, wears clothing that covers all skin, or lives in a place with little sunshine, they can be at higher risk.

Children with darker skin also need more sun time to make the same vitamin D as lighter skin. Sometimes rickets comes from not eating enough calcium or from rare inherited problems that change how bones grow.

Rickets used to be much more common long ago, especially in cities where smoke and fog blocked sunlight. People sometimes called it the "English disease" because it was common in industrial towns. Today rickets is rare in many developed countries, but it still occurs in parts of the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

Some places have seen rickets come back when children do not get enough vitamin D from food or sunlight. Doctors watch for rickets and work to prevent it so more children can grow strong bones.

Treatment depends on the cause but often begins with giving more vitamin D and calcium. Doctors may recommend vitamin D drops or tablets, and foods like milk or cereal that have added vitamin D. Playing outside safely can help the body make vitamin D from sunlight, but many doctors prefer giving supplements so children don’t get too much sun.

If a child has a strong bone bend that does not improve, surgery can sometimes help straighten the legs. Preventing rickets usually means a healthy diet, safe outdoor play, and following a doctor’s advice about vitamin D.