Rickets: MedlinePlus

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- Bones, Joints and Muscles
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National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Rickets is the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements

Rickets

Also called: Rachitis

Rickets causes soft, weak bones in children. It usually occurs when they do not get enough vitamin D, which helps growing bones absorb important nutrients. Vitamin D comes from sunlight and food. Your skin produces vitamin D in response to the sun's rays. Some foods also contain vitamin D, including fortified dairy products and cereals, and some kinds of fish. 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.

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Rickets: What It Is and How It's Treated(American Academy of Family Physicians)
Also available in Spanish

Basics	Learn More	Multimedia & Cool Tools
Overviews Latest News Diagnosis/Symptoms	Nutrition Specific Conditions Related Issues	No links available
Research	Reference Shelf	For You
Clinical Trials Research Journal Articles	Medical Encyclopedia Organizations	No links available

Overviews
- Rickets(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Latest News
- Short-Term, High-Dose Vitamin D2 May Ease Deficiency(10/27/2009, HealthDay)
Diagnosis/Symptoms
- Bone Scan(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Vitamin D Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
Nutrition
- Vitamin D(National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements)
- Vitamin D Deficiency Clinical Report: Patient FAQs(American Academy of Pediatrics)
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Specific Conditions
- Hypophosphatemic Rickets(Merck & Co., Inc.)
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Related Issues
- Renal Osteodystrophy(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - PDF
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Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Rickets(National Institutes of Health)
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Research
- Half of Black Teens May Be Lacking Vitamin D(Nemours Foundation)
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Medical Encyclopedia
- Rickets
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Organizations
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements
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