Rickets is caused by a deficiency of which nutrient?

AIIMS CRE, SNO-2024

Applied Nutrition & Dietetics

Easy

Appeared in: AIIMS CRE, SNO-2024

Explanation

Rickets is a bone disease in children characterized by weak and soft bones, primarily caused by a deficiency of Vitamin D.
Vitamin D is a crucial nutrient that facilitates the absorption of calcium and phosphorus from the diet, which are essential minerals for bone mineralization and strength.
A lack of Vitamin D impairs this process, leading to defective bone growth and the classic deformities associated with rickets.

Option A: Protein deficiency primarily leads to protein-energy malnutrition, with conditions like kwashiorkor (characterized by edema) or marasmus (severe wasting), affecting overall growth and muscle mass, not the specific bone-softening pathology of rickets.
Option C: Carbohydrates are the body's main source of energy. A deficiency would lead to fatigue, weakness, and weight loss, but it does not directly interfere with bone mineralization.
Option D: While a severe deficiency in dietary fat can impair the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K), rickets is directly classified as a vitamin deficiency disease, not a fat deficiency disease.

Visual 1: Diagram: Illustration comparing a normal leg bone structure to the bowed legs (genu varum) seen in a child with rickets.
Visual 2: Infographic: A chart showing dietary sources of Vitamin D (e.g., fatty fish, fortified milk, egg yolks) and the role of sunlight in its synthesis.
Visual 3: Clinical Image: Photograph of a child's chest showing a 'rachitic rosary' (beading of the ribs) to help visualize a key sign.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Nutritional deficiency and bone health as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Nurses play a key role in educating parents about preventing rickets through adequate Vitamin D intake, especially for exclusively breastfed infants who require supplementation as breast milk is low in Vitamin D.
Assessment for clinical signs of rickets, such as bone pain, delayed growth, and skeletal deformities, is a critical nursing responsibility during pediatric check-ups.
What if? If an adult presents with similar symptoms of bone pain and weakness, the diagnosis is not rickets but osteomalacia, which is the adult equivalent of Vitamin D deficiency bone disease.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key term in the question: 'Rickets'.
Recall the pathophysiology of rickets from your studies. The core issue is defective bone mineralization in growing children.
Connect this disease to its specific nutritional cause. Rickets is classically linked to a lack of Vitamin D.
Evaluate the given options. 'Vitamin' is the correct broad category that includes Vitamin D.
Eliminate the other options by recalling their primary roles: Protein for tissue building, Carbohydrates for energy, and Fats for energy and absorption, making 'Vitamin' the most direct and accurate answer.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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