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rickets
(rik´әts)
a condition seen most often in children, caused by deficiency of vitamin D, which leads to altered calcium and phosphorus metabolism. The major symptom is softening of the bones, which can produce various degrees of deformity in children, and
inability of the bones to support or protect the body normally. Deformities may include nodules on the ribs; flexibility and bending of bones; bowleg or knock-knee; and an improperly developed or misshapen skull with a square, boxlike shape. Because of the widespread use of milk fortified
with vitamin D, and the giving of vitamin supplements to most infants, the disease is now uncommon in the developed world.
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