1. Correct Vitamin D Levels
Rickets is easily treated by correcting the vitamin D deficiency and making sure that there are adequate levels of calcium and phosphorus as well. Your child will probably need to take supplements to get the necessary amount of these nutrients. In addition, a dietician can help you find ways of increasing dietary intake of vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus.
If your child is young, supplementation is usually all that is needed to correct the effects of rickets. Maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D can help prevent rickets from reoccurring in the future.
2. Treat and Prevent Deformities
Untreated rickets can lead to more serious complications, and many of these conditions will require their own forms of treatment. Lack of vitamin D negatively affects bone growth and formation, and one of the more common symptoms of rickets is bowlegs. Your doctor may want to use special braces to correct the bowlegs. Braces are also used to position the body and correct spinal deformities. In severe cases, surgery might be required to address spinal deformities.
Young children who show signs of delayed motor skills, such as crawling and walking, may need therapy to help them achieve these developmental milestones. Once the nutritional deficiencies have been addressed and bone growth begins to improve, intervention can be very beneficial in helping your child correct motor skill development.
3. Treat Genetic Rickets Appropriately
Not all cases of rickets are caused by vitamin D deficiency. There are several types of genetic rickets which involve inherited abnormalities in the way that vitamin D is metabolized in the body. This form of rickets will require more than just simple vitamin D supplementation. Various medications and different forms of supplementation are used to correct these abnormalities.
Familial hypophosphatemia is a condition in which the kidneys fail to reabsorb enough phosphate, leading to low levels of serum phosphate. This condition usually starts between 6 and 10 months of age. An endocrinologist is sometimes required to treat rickets of this kind, which are usually addressed with an oral phosphate and calcitriol.
