Question
My child is in elementary school but looks like they are only eight or nine years old. The trace element test shows a deficiency of calcium and iron. I’ve heard that teenagers can also suffer from rickets. What are the symptoms of rickets?
Answer
Rickets, also known as vitamin D deficiency rickets, is a systemic, chronic nutritional disease caused by insufficient vitamin D in infants, children, and adolescents, leading to calcium and phosphorus metabolism disorders and characterized by skeletal inflammation. Rickets typically involves a decrease in blood phosphorus levels. Rickets, also referred to as calcium deficiency, is more common in infancy and is a disease caused by vitamin D deficiency leading to inadequate calcification of bones due to disturbed calcium and phosphorus metabolism. The onset of rickets is gradual and often goes unnoticed.