Rickets Summary Rickets causes soft, weak bones in children. It usually occurs when they do not get enough vitamin D, which helps growing bones absorb the minerals calcium and phosphorous. It can also happen when calcium or phosphorus levels are too low. Your child might not get enough vitamin D if he or she Has dark skin Spends too little time outside Has on sunscreen all the time when out of doors Doesn’t eat foods containing vitamin D because of lactose intolerance or a strict vegetarian diet Is breastfed without receiving vitamin D supplements Can’t make or use vitamin D because of a medical disorder such as celiac disease In addition to dietary rickets, children can get an inherited form of the disease. Symptoms include bone pain or tenderness, impaired growth, and deformities of the bones and teeth. Your child’s doctor uses lab and imaging tests to make the diagnosis. Treatment is replacing the calcium, phosphorus, or vitamin D that are lacking in the diet. Rickets is rare in the United States. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements Resources Bowlegs and Knock-Knees American Academy of Pediatrics Rickets Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Rickets American Academy of Family Physicians Vitamin D National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements Vitamin D Deficiency (Beyond the Basics) UpToDate Vitamin D Test American Association for Clinical Chemistry Clinical Trials ClinicalTrials.gov: Rickets National Institutes of Health ClinicalTrials.gov: Rickets, Hypophosphatemic National Institutes of Health Genetics Genetics Home Reference: congenital bile acid synthesis defect type 1 National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: hereditary hypophosphatemic rickets National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: vitamin D-dependent rickets National Library of Medicine Journal Articles Rickets Patient Handouts Rickets
