Résumé

• Rickets is deficient mineralisation at the growth plate of long bones, resulting in growth retardation. If the underlying condition is not treated, bone deformity occurs, typically causing bowed legs and thickening of the ends of long bones.
• Rickets only occurs in growing children before fusion of the epiphyses, and typically affects the wrists, knees, and costochondral junctions.
• Rickets occurs primarily as a result of a nutritional deficiency of vitamin D, but can be associated with nutritional deficiencies of calcium or phosphorus. Hypophosphataemic rickets is a common genetic cause of rickets.
• The mainstay of treatment is to correct vitamin D deficiency and to ensure adequate calcium intake.
• Vitamin D deficient rickets can be prevented in many cases by ensuring that children and pregnant women have sufficient vitamin D and calcium intake.