vitamin D deficiency

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rickets, a nutritional disease

vitamin D deficiency

pathology

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June 17, 2026

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rickets, a nutritional disease — rickets, a nutritional disease Children with rickets. The disease, which most commonly strikes children, causes bone deformities such as bowlegs. Rickets is caused by a lack of vitamin D or calcium.

Vitamin D deficiency is a condition where the body lacks sufficient vitamin D, which is crucial for calcium and phosphate absorption, essential for bone health. In children, this deficiency leads to rickets, characterized by soft bones, skeletal deformities like bowed legs, and delayed growth. In adults, the condition is known as osteomalacia, causing progressive bone softening, weakness, and increased susceptibility to fractures.123

The primary causes of vitamin D deficiency include inadequate exposure to sunlight (the body synthesizes vitamin D from UV radiation), insufficient dietary intake, or impaired absorption and metabolism due to gastrointestinal or kidney diseases. Treatment involves vitamin D supplementation, dietary changes rich in calcium and protein, and adequate sunlight exposure.1234

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muscle disease
Vitamin D deficiency
A similar mechanism underlies the wasting and weakness associated with lack of vitamin D in which marked atrophy of type 2 fibres may occur. The actions of vitamin D in muscle are not fully understood, but it appears that at least one…
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A similar mechanism underlies the wasting and weakness associated with lack of vitamin D in which marked atrophy of type 2 fibres may occur. The actions of vitamin D in muscle are not fully understood, but it appears that at least one…
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…is exacerbated by vitamin D deficiency, which weakens immune function.
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…is exacerbated by vitamin D deficiency, which weakens immune function.
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photochemical reaction
Photorearrangement
…solar radiation can cause a deficiency of vitamin D, which leads to a debilitating decalcification of the bones called rickets. This disorder was first described by Roman physicians in the 2nd century bce, and, at the height of the Industrial Revolution, it affected 90 percent of children raised in the…
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…solar radiation can cause a deficiency of vitamin D, which leads to a debilitating decalcification of the bones called rickets. This disorder was first described by Roman physicians in the 2nd century bce, and, at the height of the Industrial Revolution, it affected 90 percent of children raised in the…
Read More

parathyroid gland
Functions of the parathyroid glands
…result of conditions such as vitamin D deficiency and kidney failure, cause abnormal increases in parathormone secretion. Increased parathormone secretion raises serum calcium levels by stimulating retention of calcium by the kidneys, mobilization of calcium from bone, and absorption of calcium by the gastrointestinal tract. Conversely, parathormone secretion is inhibited…
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…result of conditions such as vitamin D deficiency and kidney failure, cause abnormal increases in parathormone secretion. Increased parathormone secretion raises serum calcium levels by stimulating retention of calcium by the kidneys, mobilization of calcium from bone, and absorption of calcium by the gastrointestinal tract. Conversely, parathormone secretion is inhibited…
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vitamin D
Vitamin D deficiency was first described more than 300 years ago as a disorder called rickets. However, the chemical transformations that produce the biologically active form of vitamin D and how this active form of vitamin D affects the bones were described only recently. Vitamin…
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Vitamin D deficiency was first described more than 300 years ago as a disorder called rickets. However, the chemical transformations that produce the biologically active form of vitamin D and how this active form of vitamin D affects the bones were described only recently. Vitamin…
Read More