Rickets Wheeless

Description: Wheeless' Textbook of Orthopaedics See: - Osteomalacia: - Vit D Abnormalities: - Discussion: - rickets is an osteomalacic syndrome in which there is an inability to mineralize chondroid and osteoid; - lack of available calcium or phosphorus (or both) for mineralization of newly formed osteoid; - osseous changes in both adults and children reflect the fact that either ionized calcium or phosphate, or both, is insufficient in concentration to mineralize the skeleton fully; - there is less mineralized bone per unit volume of bone; - osseous changes in the rapidly growing skeleton of a young child w/ rickets may result in bowing deformities due to the decreased resistance of the skeleton to bending and shearing moments; - as consequence, stress frxs w/ resultant deformities occur; - note that the classic changes of rickets will typically occur in children younger than 6-7 years of age;