Rickets Glossary

Fat-soluble vitamins - any vitamins that are soluble in fats or fat solvents. These vitamins are absorbed by the body from the intestinal tract and follow the same path of absorption as fat and any condition interfering with the absorption of fats would result in poor absorption of these vitamins as well.

Hormone - a chemical substance produced in an organ, which, carried to an associated organ by the blood stream, influences its functional activity.

Osteomalacia - another name given to rickets when it occurs in adults.

Osteoporosis - abnormal porousness or rarefaction of bone by the enlargement of its canals or the formation of abnormal spaces.

Parathyroid gland - One of the four small glands on the lateral lobes of the thyroid.

Pectus carinatum - a skeletal deformity that is a symptom of rickets which is also called pigeon chest which involves forward projection of breastbone.

Pectus excavatum - a skeletal deformity that is a symptom of rickets which is also called funnel chest.

Rachitic rosary - bumps in the rib cage, which is also a symptom of rickets.

Renal osteodystrophy - dwarfism associated with osteoporosis following prolonged renal insufficiency in early childhood.

Rickets - vitamin D deficiency that results in softening and weakening of bones in children.

Scoliosis – lateral curvature of spinal column.

Steatorrhea - problem of malabsorption in which the body is unable to absorb fats, and they are passed directly out the body in the stool.

Tubular acidosis - disorder in which there is an increased amount of acid in the body fluids as a result of congenital or acquired kidney disorders.

Kyphosis - hump or forward bending of the spine