Rickets history and symptoms

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

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Signs and symptoms of rickets include:

• Bone pain or tenderness
• dental problems
• muscle weakness (rickety myopathy or “floppy baby syndrome”)
• increased tendency for fractures (easily broken bones), especially greenstick fractures
• Skeletal deformity
  • Toddlers: Bowed legs (genu varum)
  • Older children: Knock-knees (genu valgum) or “windswept knees”
  • Cranial, spinal, and pelvic deformities
• Growth disturbance
• Hypocalcemia (low level of calcium in the blood), and
• Tetany (uncontrolled muscle spasms all over the body).
• Craniotabes (soft skull)
• Costochondral swelling (aka “rickety rosary” or “rachitic rosary“)
• Harrison’s groove
• Double malleoli sign due to metaphyseal hyperplasia [2]

An X-ray or radiograph of an advanced sufferer from rickets tends to present in a classic way: bow legs (outward curve of long bone of the legs) and a deformed chest. Changes in the skull also occur causing a distinctive “square headed” appearance. These deformities persist into adult life if not treated.

Long-term consequences include permanent bends or disfiguration of the long bones, and a curved back.

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