Abstract
Rickets, a metabolic disease restricted to an age group before epiphyseal growth plate fusion, and is diagnosed by typical skeletal deformities and characteristic radiological features. The commonest etiology of rickets worldwide is nutritional deficiency of vitamin D and/or calcium, followed by primary renal phosphate wasting disorders. Renal tubular acidosis is an important cause of rickets, particularly ‘resistant rickets’, as the diagnosis is often missed initially and the patients are being wrongly treated with other agents without any benefit. Renal tubular acidosis is characterized by normal anion gap metabolic acidosis and is classified into different subtypes. A systemic step-wise approach is needed in suspected patients to unveil the subtype of renal tubular acidosis and the underlying etiology. Early diagnosis and proper management of renal tubular acidosis leads to complete clinical and radiological recovery in patients presenting with rickets secondary to renal tubular acidosis.
Keywords
Rickets, Renal tubular acidosis, Urinary anion gap, Tubular reabsorption of phosphate, Tubular maximum for phosphate corrected for GFR