Vitamin D Privation: Rickets in Children, Osteomalacia in Adults

A lot of the nutritional diseases are considered deficiency diseases; they are generally attributable to a shortfall in the body's supply of certain food components, foremost of which are vitamins. To help the body absorb calcium easier, which is vital in one's having strong bones and teeth, a sufficient supply of vitamin D is needed. A good supply of vitamin D likewise helps in preventing, or reversing cases of, osteoporosis, as well as in reducing the risk of colon cancer.

Studies, however, show that many people are vitamin D-deficient. The ideal amounts of vitamin D an individual has to have daily, according to nutritionists and health experts, are: 5 micrograms (200 international units) until the age of fifty; 10 micrograms (400 international units) for ages over fifty to seventy; and 15 micrograms (600 international units) over the age of seventy. Deficiency in vitamin D is the cause of rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.

Young children, usually between the ages of six months and one-and-a half years, who are deficient in vitamin D often develop rickets; their bones fail to harden. Unusual sweating of the head, irritability, and restlessness are the early signs of this condition. The joints situated between bone and cartilage at the ribs' front end then begin to increase in size. This enlargement of the said joints results in the formation of two rows of hard nodules, which are evident in thin children with rickets.

Children with rickets may also suffer from other impairments, such as their fontanel (the soft, pulsating spot in the top of the skull) remaining open long past the infantile stage when they should be closed; the bones that form their joints (especially the wrist joints) are larger - but softer - than they should be; and their abdomen may thrust outward, with their bowels being constipated. Rickets often causes a child to be knock-kneed or bow-legged. A young girl with rickets may suffer from pelvic deformity which may persist until her mature years; normal childbirth becomes difficult in such a case.

In adults, an increased susceptibility to bone fracture is the main symptom of osteomalacia. This condition often develops in adults due to poor diet and not having enough sunlight; or it may be due to impairment in the ability of the person to make use of the nutrients he/she eats and the sunlight he/she gets. Pregnant women are especially at risk from osteomalacia since their increased requirement for calcium (essential for fetal bone development) also increases their vitamin D requirement.

In a lot of cases, skeletal deformity resulting from either rickets or osteomalacia is incurable. Prevention, for this reason, is therefore very important. A diet containing sufficient amount of vitamin D is not difficult to obtain. Whole milk and egg yolks, for example, supply good amounts of vitamin D. Another means by which one can avoid having rickets or osteomalacia is through moderate exposure to sunlight, which aids the body in synthesizing vitamin D. [Read the Original Article]

Source: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp