Rickets is a deficiency disease in infants characterized by changes in the skeleton. It is caused by a lack of vitamin D, which leads to hypocalcemia and hypophosphatemia. Clinical symptoms include deformities of the head such as frontal bossing and widened sutures, chest abnormalities like rib swelling and spinal curvature, and bone deformities in the arms, legs, and pelvis such as bowed limbs and knock-knees. Symptoms generally present before age 2 and can sometimes persist throughout life.

1. RICKETS
BY
ROBERT IGBEDE

2. Rickets
• It is one of the most frequent deficiency
diseases in infants, the main clinical symptoms
of which are changes of the skeleton.
• Etiology of rickets: the deficiency of vitamin D
(D2-ergocalciferol, D3-cholecalciferol).
• Hypocalcemia
• hypophosphatemia

3. Rickets
• Clinical symptom.
• Head
• a) delayed closure of fontanels;
• b) deformed shape of the head:
• 1. the skull is flat and depressed toward middle;
• 2. a prominence of frontal bones = “Olympic
forehead”;
• 3. a prominence to the sides of the parietal bones
= “caput quadratum”;

4. • 4. prominence of parietal bones and
depression toward middle the suture between
these bones = caput natiforme;
• 5. craniotabes (softening of cranial bones);
• 6. softening of cranial bones may lead to
enlarging all the sizes of the head that is
called macrocephalia).

5. Rickets
• Chest:
• a) rachitic rosary (enlargement
of costochondral junction of ribs);
• b) Harrison’s groove (horizontal depression in
the lower portion of the rib cage);
• c) pigeon chest (depression to the middle of
lower part of sternum);
• Spine:
• kyphosis, scoliosis, lordosis.

6. Rickets
• Extremities:
• a) bowing of the arms and legs;
• b) knock-knee (X-shaped legs);
• c) saber shins;
• d) instability of hip joints;
• e) pelvic deformity;
• f) enlargement of epiphysis at the ends of
the long bones.

7. Rickets
varus deformity (X-shaped legs)
valgus deformity(X-shaped legs)valgus deformity(X-shaped legs)
valgus deformity(X-shaped legs)

8. Rickets
• Teeth:
• a) delayed calcification, especially of
permanent teeth;
• b) maleruption of teeth.
• Abdomen: potbelly, constipation.
• Rachitis tetany: seizures.
• Symptoms of rickets are usually found in
children less than 2 years of age, some of them in
an reduced form can persist for the whole life.

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