Rickets By Mauricio Martinez

What is rickets  In short, Rickets are a disease caused by vitamin D deficiency that causes bowed legs, fractured bones, poor digestion, thick wrists and ankles, large head and belly, deformed spine and chest, painful inflamed joints, and poor overall growth. It tends to affect dark skinned people more because dark skin doesn’t react as strongly to sunshine as does lighter colored skin, so it produces less vitamin D.

At risk People  Children age 6 to 24 months old  Premature babies  Exclusively breast-fed babies  Extremely low deficiencies in vitamin D Makes anyone susceptible but is most common in these three categories.

Recent studies  It was presumed that rickets was believed by many to have been all but eradicated in this country because of modern nutrition. However, a recent article in the Chronicle has tracked new cases in the Bay area. Although new cases will continue to come, doctors are now more aware and know how to treat it and how to react.

Treatment and Prevention  Rickets are treated and prevented with vitamin D  We get vitamin D in two different ways  Sunlight and food  Your skin produces vitamin D when it’s exposed to sunlight. Children in developing countries are more likely to spend time indoors, and use sunscreen when outdoors. Sunscreen blocks the rays that trigger the production of vitamin D.  Many foods today have been fortified with vitamin D, like milk and cereals. Vitamin D is also found in fish oils and egg yolks.