Rickets | About the Disease | GARD
Summary
Rickets is a condition that causes children to have soft, weak bones. It usually occurs when children do not get enough vitamin D, which helps growing bones absorb important nutrients. Vitamin D comes from sunlight and food. 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.
Summary
Rickets is a condition that causes children to have soft, weak bones. It usually occurs when children do not get enough vitamin D, which helps growing bones absorb important nutrients. Vitamin D comes from sunlight and food. 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.Rickets is a condition that causes children to have soft, weak bones. It usually occurs when children do not get enough vitamin D, which helps growing bones absorb important nutrients. Vitamin D comes from sunlight and food. 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.
Resource(s) for Medical Professionals and Scientists on This Disease:
This section is currently in development.
About Rickets
Many rare diseases have limited information. Currently, GARD aims to provide the following information for this disease:
Population Estimate:This section is currently indevelopment.
Symptoms:This section is currently in development.
Cause:GARD does not currently have information about the cause of this disease.
Organizations:Patient organizations are available to help find a specialist, or advocacy and support for this specific disease.
GARD does not currently have information about the cause of this disease.
This section is currently in development.
On average, it takes more than six years to receive an accurate rare disease diagnosis. Many primary care providers (PCPs) may not be familiar with rare diseases, and you may need to see multiple specialists to reach the correct diagnosis. However, advocating for yourself with your healthcare team may help speed your time to diagnosis. To combat common challenges, be prepared:
Knowing where to start your diagnostic journey and how to navigate the next steps are critical to speeding your time to diagnosis
Establishing care with a dedicated primary care provider (PCP) is an important early step in your rare disease journey. A PCP can help improve care and shorten the time to diagnosis by providing referrals to the appropriate specialists. These specialists, with advanced training in different body systems or types of diseases, can offer the specialized diagnostic procedures you need.
Use this tool by Medicare to find a PCP in your area by inputting your location and keyword "Primary Care Provider."
If you've visited your PCP, met with specialists, and undergone the recommended tests, but still do not have a confirmed diagnosis, it may be time to visit a multidisciplinary care center. Multidisciplinary care centers are usually teaching, university, or research hospitals that have teams of medical experts and specialists working together in the same location. This means a wide range of diagnostic tests and clinical knowledge are available at one facility, which can help increase communication and collaboration among your care team. The additional resources often available at multidisciplinary centers may help speed the time to diagnosis for rare diseases.
Use this tool to find hospitals that may partner with medical schools and programs in your area.
If you've visited your PCP, met with specialists, and undergone the recommended tests, but still do not have a confirmed diagnosis, it may be time to visit a multidisciplinary care center. Multidisciplinary care centers are usually teaching, university, or research hospitals that have teams of medical experts and specialists working together in the same location. This means a wide range of diagnostic tests and clinical knowledge are available at one facility, which can help increase communication and collaboration among your care team. The additional resources often available at multidisciplinary centers may help speed the time to diagnosis for rare diseases.
Use this tool to find hospitals that may partner with medical schools and programs in your area.
If a diagnosis remains unknown despite extensive efforts by your PCP and specialists, it can be challenging to know what kind of expert you may need or where to find one. A rare disease expert is a care provider that has knowledge or training on specific disease(s), but there may only be a few experts in your state, region, or country. Rare disease experts may work at large research or teaching hospitals. In complex cases, coordinating with a network of experts can help your care provider find the right diagnosis.
Contact a GARD Information Specialist for help finding an expert.
You can ask your care providers for help finding an expert or use directory tools to search for experts near you. The following organization(s) may maintain a list of experts or expert centers for people living with Rickets:
If a diagnosis remains unknown despite extensive efforts by your PCP and specialists, it can be challenging to know what kind of expert you may need or where to find one. A rare disease expert is a care provider that has knowledge or training on specific disease(s), but there may only be a few experts in your state, region, or country. Rare disease experts may work at large research or teaching hospitals. In complex cases, coordinating with a network of experts can help your care provider find the right diagnosis.
Contact a GARD Information Specialist for help finding an expert.
You can ask your care providers for help finding an expert or use directory tools to search for experts near you. The following organization(s) may maintain a list of experts or expert centers for people living with Rickets:
Patient Organizations
5 Organizations
Organization Name
Who They Serve
Helpful Links
Country
Clinical studies are a part of clinical research and play an important role in medical advances for rare diseases. Through clinical studies, researchers may ultimately uncover better ways to treat, prevent, diagnose, and understand human diseases.
What Are Clinical Studies?
Clinical studies are medical research involving people as participants. There are two main types of clinical studies:
- Clinical trials determine if a new test or treatment for a disease is effective and safe by comparing groups receiving different tests/treatments.
- Observational studies involve recording changes over time among a specific group of people in their natural settings.
Learn more about clinical trials from this U.S. Food & Drug Administration webpage.
Why Participate in Clinical Studies?
People participate in clinical trials for many reasons. People with a disease may participate to receive the newest possible treatment and additional care from clinical study staff as well as to help others living with the same or a similar disease. Healthy volunteers may participate to help others and to contribute to moving science forward.
To find the right clinical study we recommend you consult your doctors, other trusted medical professionals, and patient organizations. Additionally, you can use ClinicalTrials.gov to search for clinical studies by disease, terms, or location.
What if There Are No Available Clinical Studies?
ResearchMatch helps connect people interested in research studies with researchers from top medical centers across the United States. Anyone from the U.S. can register with this free program funded by NIH. Researchers from participating institutions use the database to search for and invite patients or healthy volunteers who meet their study criteria to participate.
Join the All of Us Research Program!
The All of Us Research Program is inviting 1 million people from all backgrounds across the U.S. to help build one of the most diverse health databases in history. Researchers will use the data to learn how our biology, lifestyle, and environment affect health. This may one day help them find ways to treat and prevent diseases.
What Are Clinical Studies?
Clinical studies are medical research involving people as participants. There are two main types of clinical studies:
Learn more about clinical trials from this U.S. Food & Drug Administration webpage.
Why Participate in Clinical Studies?
People participate in clinical trials for many reasons. People with a disease may participate to receive the newest possible treatment and additional care from clinical study staff as well as to help others living with the same or a similar disease. Healthy volunteers may participate to help others and to contribute to moving science forward. To find the right clinical study we recommend you consult your doctors, other trusted medical professionals, and patient organizations. Additionally, you can use ClinicalTrials.gov to search for clinical studies by disease, terms, or location.
What if There Are No Available Clinical Studies?
ResearchMatch helps connect people interested in research studies with researchers from top medical centers across the United States. Anyone from the U.S. can register with this free program funded by NIH. Researchers from participating institutions use the database to search for and invite patients or healthy volunteers who meet their study criteria to participate.
Join the All of Us Research Program!
The All of Us Research Program is inviting 1 million people from all backgrounds across the U.S. to help build one of the most diverse health databases in history. Researchers will use the data to learn how our biology, lifestyle, and environment affect health. This may one day help them find ways to treat and prevent diseases.
ClinicalTrials.gov, an affiliate of NIH, provides current information on clinical research studies in the United States and abroad. Talk to a trusted doctor before choosing to participate in any clinical study. We recommend checking this site often and searching for studies with related terms/synonyms to improve results.
GARDGenetic and Rare Diseases
Information Center
Contact a GARD Information Specialist if you need help finding more information on this rare disease or available clinical studies. Please note that GARD cannot enroll individuals in clinical studies.
Available toll-free Monday through Friday from 12 pm to 6 pm Eastern Time
(Except: Federal Holidays)
ClinicalTrials.gov, an affiliate of NIH, provides current information on clinical research studies in the United States and abroad. Talk to a trusted doctor before choosing to participate in any clinical study. We recommend checking this site often and searching for studies with related terms/synonyms to improve results.
GARDGenetic and Rare Diseases
Information Center
Contact a GARD Information Specialist if you need help finding more information on this rare disease or available clinical studies. Please note that GARD cannot enroll individuals in clinical studies.
Use the contact form to send your questions to a GARD Information Specialist.
Please allow 2 to 10 business days for us to respond.
Last Updated: January 2025