Rickets.
Caused by vitamin D deficiency.
Very common among babies and children back in the depression and Word War II era.
Caused by vitamin D deficiency.
Very common among babies and children back in the depression and Word War II era.
Yep - the adult version is called Osteomalacia. Some medications can trigger Vitamin D deficiency, too - and don't depend on your physician to screen for it. It happened to me; my doc runs blood work on me every six months to monitor liver function due to a medication I've used for 20+ years. Not once did I hear anything about osteomalacia or the benefits of taking a vitamin D supplement or calcium supplements - found out while doing research on the Internet.
Two office visits ago, I asked the doctor to add the Vitamin D levels test to the lab orders. No phone messages or anything followed, so I figured all was okay. Last visit, I asked about the Vitamin D levels. After glancing at the lab report, the doctor cleared his throat and said "Oh, yeah... I guess we should start you on a supplement". !@&#%
Vitamin D supplements take a long time to have any effect, so I'll be interested to see if the levels improve in a few months when I go back.
Seems like I've read about reduced Vitamin D levels being either an indicator of Crohn's Disease, too - can't recall if it's thought to be a cause or a symptom.