Rickets of our time: modern diagnosis and treatment

Rickets is a disease that has been known to mankind for several decades. Overcoming this public health problem was a triumph of science and public policy in the 20th century, but over the course of several decades rickets sharply returned as a result of cultural, environmental and political factors. Vitamin D plays a fundamental role in the regulation of calcium and phosphorus homeostasis, and, consequently, in the development of rickets. In addition to these classic skeletal effects, recent studies have shown that vitamin D has other significant extracellular effects that can complicate the course of the disease and have long-term effects on children’s health. Vitamin D sufficiency in children has been defined as serum 25(OH) D levels of over 30 ng/ml, insufficiency as 21-30 ng/ml, deficiency as less than 20 ng/ml. The upper limit of the reference range is 100 nmol/L, as levels above may be associated with vitamin D toxicity in children. Serum 1.25(OH)2D should not be used for the assessment of vitamin D status. Natural sources of vitamin D are very limited, therefore, its use in the form of nutritional supplements is the primary mean of preventing and treating rickets. The recommended drug for the prevention and treatment of vitamin D deficiency is cholecalciferol (D3). Colecalciferol is recommended to be given at a dose of 1000 IU/day to all children aged 1 to 6 months regardless of the type of feeding or the season of the year to prevent vitamin D deficiency. This article presents modern ways of preventing, diagnosing and treating rickets.