Severe vitamin d deficiency can cause osteomalacia in adults and rickets in children. Lesser degrees of deficiency in diet may lead to a burning sensation in the mouth and throat, weight loss, loss of appetite, visual problems, diarrhea and insomnia.
People at higher risk
* those with intake below recommended levels.
* those who have limited sunlight exposure.
* those whose kidney cannot change the vitamin to the active form. ” kidney disorder”
* those with inadequate absorption of the vitamin from their digestive tract. ” GIT disorder”
Symptoms of rickets:
* Bowed legs and bowed arms. The bowed appearance is due to the softening of bones, and their bending if the bones are weight-bearing.
* Particular bony bumps on the ribs called rachitic rosary (beadlike prominences at the junction of the ribs with their cartilages)
* Knock-knees.
* Seizures may also occasionally occur in a child with rickets, because of reduced levels of dissolved calcium in the bloodstream.
Symptoms of osteomalacia:
* Easy fatigue.
* Pain in the back, ribs, and hips. Some of the pain in osteomalacia is caused by slight cracks in the bone (the medical term is ‘partial fractures’), which are visible on x-rays.
* Bone softness.
* Muscle weakness.
* Difficult getting up from a chair or climbing steps.
* Abnormal walk.
* Bone fractures.