Pages Below:
| |
- defective mineralisation in children
- Vitamin D
deficiency leads to failure to ossify osteoid
Causes
- dietary deficiency of vitamin D
- inadequate exposure to sunlight
- intestinal malabsorption
- disorders in vitamin D metabolism
- renal disorders in phosphate metabolism
- defective mineralisation
Pathology
- extensive changes at epiphyseal plate
- growth plate thickened - 5-15x normal
Clinical Features
- start from the age of 1 year
- tetany
- convulsions
- small for age
- failure to thrive
- apathy
- irritability
- short attention-span
- sedentary
Examination
- bowing of femur and tibia
- skull deformity (craniotabes)
- flattening
- frontal bossing
- Chest wall deformity
- rachitic rosary (thickening of osteochondral junction)
- transverse sulcus caused by pull of diaphragm (Harrison's sulcus)
- severe dental caries
- pigeon breast
- weak musculature
Investigations
- X-ray
- changes most noticeable in wrist
- increase in depth and width of epiphysis
- cupped appearance of adjacent metaphysis
- ↓ Ca2+
- ↓PO4+
- ↓1,25-Vit D
|