rickets

/'rikits/

Thân thiện

A young child with rickets struggles to walk steadily.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A childhood disease: Rickets is a medical condition that primarily affects children, characterized by softening and weakening of the bones.
   • Caused by deficiency: It is caused by a prolonged and severe deficiency of vitamin D, calcium, or phosphate.
   • Associated with impaired metabolism: The disease is associated with impaired metabolism of calcium and phosphorus, which are essential for proper bone formation and strength.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The doctor diagnosed the malnourished child with rickets.
  • Adequate sunlight exposure can help prevent rickets.
  • Rickets was once common in industrialized cities before vitamin D fortification of foods.

Advanced Usage

• "to suffer from rickets": to have the disease of rickets.
  • Many children in the 19th century suffered from rickets due to poor diet and lack of sunlight.
• Medical context: The term is used almost exclusively in medical, nutritional, and public health contexts to describe the specific pathological condition.

Variants and Related Words

• Rachitic (adj): Pertaining to or affected by rickets.
  • The patient showed rachitic symptoms such as bowed legs.

Synonyms

• Osteomalacia (n): A similar condition of bone softening in adults, often used in contrast to the childhood disease rickets.
• Vitamin D deficiency disease: A descriptive synonym highlighting the primary cause.

Notes on Meaning

• The word "rickets" is a plural noun but is typically used with a singular verb when referring to the disease as a condition (e.g., ).
• It is a specific medical term and is not used in general, figurative, or idiomatic expressions.

Học thuật

Noun

1. childhood disease caused by deficiency of vitamin D and sunlight associated with impaired metabolism of calcium and phosphorus

Từ đồng nghĩa

• rachitis