Rickets is a disease that is as a result of lack of vitamin D and calcium in the diet. The disease causes the weakening of bones especially in children who are about 8-20 months old. There are different types of rickets depending on which mineral is missing in the diet. The most common one is that which is caused by lack of vitamin D and it is very resistant. Another name for the disease that is used by doctors and nutritionist is osteomalacia.
The disease was first discovered by the Romans but the first documented case was in England in the 1640’s. By then, the cause for the disease was not known and this happened much later in the 1920’s. The then doctors recommended that in order to prevent this disease, the children should be given milk and cod liver oil. These are rich in calcium and vitamin D respectively. This practice let to the near purge of the disease especially in the industrialized countries. Sadly, the disease has returned; and it is mainly in the less developed countries. This is because there are many poor people living in these countries who are not able to have the vital nutrients in their diets.
No matter what kind of rickets that a person is having, the cause is usually due to lack of vitamin D, calcium or phosphate. The most common type of the disease is that which is caused by lack of Vitamin D. The vitamin is required in the formation of healthy bones. There is a small amount of the vitamin that is produced by the body but this is usually not enough, which is why it has to be supplemented in the diet. Children are the people who are the most likely to get this disease especially the over breastfed or those that are born by mothers who have the vitamin D deficiency. Children who do not get enough exposure to direct sun are also at a risk of getting the condition.
The other type of rickets is due to low levels of phosphate in the diet. With this type of the disease, the bones are soft and malleable. This type is connected to a genetic condition where the X gene has some defects. Among the children that have this type, the kidney is not able to regulate the amount of phosphate that is released in the urine. These patients are usually less that one year of age. Since their bodies do not have enough vitamin D, they are not able to properly synthesis the phosphates. The treatment of this condition is fairly easy; the child only needs to be given nutrition supplements that have calcium and phosphates in them.
The last kind is caused by having kidney disorders. This makes the kidney not to regulate the nutrients that are released in the urine. Many of them are therefore lost instead of being absorbed into the body. The treatment for this type just requires the rectification of the underlying kidney problem.
