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Rickets - Symptom

Alternative Names

Osteomalacia in children; Vitamin D deficiency; Renal rickets; Hepatic rickets

Symptoms:

Bone pain or tenderness
- Arms
- Legs
- Pelvis
- Spine
Dental deformities
- Delayed formation of teeth
- Decreased muscle tone (loss of muscle strength)
- Defects in the structure of teeth; holes in the enamel
- Increased cavities in the teeth (dental caries)
- Progressive weakness
Impaired growth
Increased bone fractures
Muscle cramps
Short stature (adults less than 5 feet tall)
Skeletal deformities
- Asymmetrical or odd-shaped skull
- Bowlegs
- Bumps in the ribcage (rachitic rosary)
- Breastbone pushed forward (pigeon chest)
- Pelvic deformities
- Spine deformities (spine curves abnormally, including scoliosis or kyphosis)

Signs and tests:

A physical exam reveals tenderness or pain in the bones, rather than in the joints or muscles.

The following tests may help diagnose rickets:

Other tests and procedures include the following:

X-ray

Reviewed last on: 8/3/2010
Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Greenbaum LA. Rickets and hypervitaminosis D. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 48.

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