Rickets

Rickets is a disorder of bone mineralization usually caused by vitamin D deficiency.Risk groups include e.g. breastfed infants, children with milk allergy as well as sedentary and dark-skinned children. In rickets, the plasma concentration of calcium may be either low or normal, plasma phosphate concentration is decreased and plasma alkaline phosphatase concentration is usually increased.Diagnosis is based on the clinical picture and the typical radiological and laboratory findings.