Vitamin D and rickets

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Centuries ago, during the industrial revolution, rickets, known as 'the English disease', became widespread among impoverished city children due to vitamin D deficiency and lack of sunlight. Today, it appears to be endemic again, as rising vitamin D deficiency correlates with increased breastfeeding in Western societies. Key risk factors for rickets include breastfeeding, nutritional status, and dark skin. Understanding rickets, or 'rachitis', requires knowledge of mineral metabolism and its regulation in growing children. It is now recognized that rickets is not solely due to vitamin D deficiency; both vitamin D and calcium deficiencies are common in developing countries and affluent societies where children and mothers have limited sunlight exposure. Advances in molecular biology have facilitated the use of subcellular technologies to investigate vitamin D in human and animal studies. This volume presents the latest research on vitamin D and rickets from various perspectives, including a historical overview of bone metabolism, molecular genetics of vitamin D, and insights for disease prevention. It will particularly interest pediatricians, endocrinologists, and healthcare specialists working with at-risk children.