rickets: Definition and Much More from Answers.com

n. (used with a sing. or pl. verb)

A deficiency disease resulting from a lack of vitamin D or calcium and from insufficient exposure to sunlight, characterized by defective bone growth and occurring chiefly in children. Also called rachitis.

[Origin unknown.]

Malformation of the bones in growing children due to deficiency of vitamin D, leading to poor absorption of calcium. In adults the equivalent is osteomalacia.

A deficiency disease of children whose bones do not harden and are deformed due to lack of vitamin D.

(rik′əts)
n

A condition caused by deficiency of vitamin D or calcium in infants and children, with disturbance in the mineralization of osseous and dental tissues. Marked by bending and bowing of bones, nodular enlargements at the ends of bones, myalgia, delay in closure of fontanels, and other problems. See also osteomalacia.

Disease of infancy and childhood characterized by defective bone growth due to lack of vitamin D. Calcium phosphate is not properly deposited in the bones, which become soft, curved, and stunted. Early symptoms include restlessness, profuse sweating, lack of limb and abdominal-muscle tone, soft skull bones, and developmental delays. Muscles may cramp and twitch. Without early treatment, effects may include bowlegs, knock-knees, and beadiness where the ribs meet the breastbone. A narrow chest and pelvis can later increase susceptibility to lung diseases and impede childbirth. Treatment is with high-dose vitamin D supplementation, sunlight, and a balanced diet. Adding vitamin D to milk has reduced rickets in high-latitude areas where the skin cannot produce enough.

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Deficiency disease of children in which bones do not harden and are deformed due to lack of vitamin D.

or rachitis (rəkī'tĭs) , bone disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin D or calcium. Essential in regulating calcium and phosphorus absorption by the body, vitamin D can be formed in the skin by ultraviolet rays contained in sunlight; it can also be consumed in such foods as fish oils, eggs, and butter. Since calcium and phosphorus are essential for proper development and hardening of bones, the disease manifests itself in children as softening of bones, abnormal bone growth, and enlargement of cartilage at the ends of long bones. Where bones must support weight, such as the legs and pelvis, the skeleton is likely to become bent or deformed. The result is often knock-knees, bowlegs, and deformities of the chest and pelvis. In temperate climates or the tropics, vitamin-D deficiency usually results from poor diet rather than from lack of exposure to ultraviolet rays of sunlight. Rickets is no longer common in developed countries because milk is readily obtained and is usually fortified with vitamin D; infants commonly receive vitamin D as a supplement. Treatment of rickets is largely preventive, i.e., by early recognition and by including adequate amounts of vitamin D and calcium in the diet.

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A disease of young growing animals caused by a nutritional deficiency of phosphorus or vitamin D. There is a failure of calcification of osteoid and cartilage of the bones which become bowed and a persistence with enlargement of the epiphyses so that the joints appear swollen. The animals are lame and dentition is delayed. Radiological examination shows a wider and thicker growth plate.

• adult r. — osteomalacia; a rickets-like disease affecting adults.
• fetal r. — see achondroplasia.
• hypervitaminosis D r. — deposition of large amounts of osteoid matrix in the metaphyses with a delay in its mineralization occurs in feeding excessive amounts of vitamin D.
• inherited r. — affected piglets are normal at birth but develop rickets indistinguishable from classical rickets. There is a defect in calcium absorption.
• renal r. — see renal secondary hyperparathyroidism.
• vitamin D-resistant r. — a condition almost indistinguishable from ordinary rickets clinically but resistant to unusually large doses of vitamin D; it is often familial but may occur sporadically. In hypophosphatemic vitamin D-resistant rickets, hypophosphatemia is the main characteristic, while in hypocalcemic vitamin D-resistant rickets, the serum concentration of phosphate is within normal limits or nearly so, and the concentration of calcium is abnormally low.

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - [med.] rakitis, engelsk syge

Nederlands (Dutch)
rachitis, Engelse ziekte

Français (French)
n. - rachitisme

Deutsch (German)
n. - Rachitis

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (παθολ.) ραχίτιδα, ραχιτισμός

Italiano (Italian)
rachitismo

Português (Portuguese)
n. - raquitismo (m) (Med.)

Русский (Russian)
рахит

Español (Spanish)
n. - raquitismo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - engelska sjukan (äv rakitis)

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
软骨病, 驼背, 佝偻病

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 軟骨病, 駝背, 佝僂病

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 구루병, 골연화

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - くる病

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) كساح الأطفال‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮רככת (מחלה)‬

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		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
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