rickets
(rik′ĕts)
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A disease of linear bone formation in children, most commonly the result of vitamin D deficiency, marked by inadequate mineralization of developing cartilage and newly formed bone, causing abnormalities in the shape, structure, and strength of the skeleton. This condition can be prevented by exposure to ultraviolet light (sunlight or artificial light) and administration of vitamin D in quantities that provide 400 I.U. of vitamin D activity per day.
SYN: SEE: rachitis (2)
SEE: osteomalacia
ETIOLOGY
Rickets has many causes, including diseases that affect vitamin D or phosphorus intake, absorption, and metabolism; renal tubular disorders; and diseases in which the child is chronically acidotic, among others.
FINDINGS
Affected children are often lethargic, and may have flaccid musculature and decreased muscular strength. On physical examination, multiple bony abnormalities are present, including frontal bossing, bowing of the long bones, flattening of the sides of the thoracic cavity, kyphosis, scoliosis, or lordosis.
TREATMENT
Treatment and prognosis depend on the correction of the underlying cause. Supplemental vitamin D therapy is appropriate for some patients.
Excessive use of vitamin D (in infants, more than 20,000 I.U. daily; in adults, more than 100,000 I.U. daily) should be avoided because of the risk of hypervitaminosis D.
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Citation
Venes, Donald, editor. "Rickets." Taber's Medical Dictionary, 24th ed., F.A. Davis Company, 2021. Nursing Central, nursing.unboundmedicine.com/nursingcentral/view/Tabers-Dictionary/751996/all/rickets.
Rickets. In: Venes DD, ed. Taber's Medical Dictionary. F.A. Davis Company; 2021. https://nursing.unboundmedicine.com/nursingcentral/view/Tabers-Dictionary/751996/all/rickets. Accessed November 11, 2024.
Rickets. (2021). In Venes, D. (Ed.), Taber's Medical Dictionary (24th ed.). F.A. Davis Company. https://nursing.unboundmedicine.com/nursingcentral/view/Tabers-Dictionary/751996/all/rickets
Rickets [Internet]. In: Venes DD, editors. Taber's Medical Dictionary. F.A. Davis Company; 2021. [cited 2024 November 11]. Available from: https://nursing.unboundmedicine.com/nursingcentral/view/Tabers-Dictionary/751996/all/rickets.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
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ED - Venes,Donald,
BT - Taber's Medical Dictionary
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PB - F.A. Davis Company
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