What Causes Rickets and Osteomalacia?
The most common cause of rickets and osteomalacia is vitamin D deficiency (not enough vitamin D). Usually, this is due to diets without enough vitamin D. Some medical conditions, such as celiac disease, can affect how a child’s body absorbs vitamin D from food. In a few cases, rickets is the result of rare genetic conditions which affect how the body uses vitamin D or phosphate.
Osteomalacia is also usually due to vitamin D deficiency or difficulty absorbing or using vitamin D correctly. Like rickets, it can also be due to rare genetic conditions.