Treatment In Patients with rickets

Definition

Rickets is a disease of growing bone is characterized by the failure of calcium to be stored in the bones. So the bones become soft and easily broken or changed shape. Because the disease is the bone that is growing, it only occurs in children. But if left untreated it will continue into adulthood.

Clinical Symptoms
There are several symptoms and signs in rickets, namely:

* In infants, seizures can be found circumstances, rigid, slow physical growth, weakness, and failure to thrive.
* In children who have started walking, can be found such circumstances, especially the bone deformity of the foot such as genu varum (knee bending towards the outside such as forming a compound bow) or genu vakgum (second meeting of the knee if the leg straightened out, knees bent towards the inside).

Management
MDs approach can be done to correct bone abnormalities that occur. But if the underlying (calcium deficiency) is not repaired, then the bone abnormalities that have been corrected can be changed back. If bone abnormalities that occur are not so severe, it can be used a tool called a splint used at night. It aims to correct splint slowly kelaianan bone (genu varum, genu valgum) are there. If bone abnormalities that occur include severe category, it can be taken osteotomy (bone cut) so that near-normal shape.

Cause
Vitamin D is needed for calcium absorption from the intestine. So if our bodies are deficient in vitamin D, the calcium can not be absorbed from the intestine, causing hypocalcemia (lack of calcium in the blood) that will ultimately lead to deformity (deformity) of bones and teeth as well as other symptoms such as seizures, growth terganggua, and limp. Other causes of rickets are genetic. It is known that the disease rickets can be inherited from parents. It is known that sunlight plays an important role towards the formation of vitamin D in our bodies. Therefore there are several risk factors that may increase the incidence of rickets, namely:

* Babies who breastfeed from mothers who are rarely exposed to sunlight
* Infants who are rarely exposed to sunlight
* Symptoms and other signs that can be found is hypocalcemia, soft skull, swelling kostokondral (rachitic Rosary) and the wrist.

Additional examination

Additional checks can be done is to check levels of calcium and alkaline phosphatase in the blood. Can be found that calcium levels in people with rickets are below normal, whereas alkaline phosphatase levels are usually increased. In addition, to diagnose rickets can be x-ray examination of bones. In this examination, can be seen the reduced bone density especially in the epiphyseal bone (the bone growth area)

Prevention
The basis of this disease is lack of calcium. So to prevent calcium deficiency, can be made various efforts, among others, by eating foods that contain lots of calcium, foods that contain lots of vitamin D, and more often exposed to sunlight (especially the early morning hours around the clock 7 to 10). Vitamin D is important because it serves to help the absorption of calcium from the intestine, while the sun is important for the formation of vitamin D.