Orthopaedic Nurses Certification Board (ONCB) Metabolic/Inflammatory/Tumors Practice Exam

What is a potential consequence of untreated vitamin D deficiency in children?

1. Pemphigus

2. Rickets

3. Scurvy

4. Osteoporosis

The correct answer is: Rickets

Vitamin D plays a crucial role in maintaining calcium and phosphorus balance in the body, which is essential for healthy bone development in children. Untreated vitamin D deficiency can lead to rickets, a condition characterized by the softening and weakening of bones in growing children. This happens because vitamin D is necessary for the absorption of calcium from the diet; without adequate vitamin D, children cannot absorb enough calcium to support proper bone mineralization. Rickets manifests with symptoms such as delayed growth, pain in the bones, and skeletal deformities like bowed legs or a curved spine. This condition highlights the significance of vitamin D in children's health and bone development. In contrast, other conditions listed, like pemphigus and scurvy, are unrelated to vitamin D deficiency, with pemphigus being an autoimmune blistering disorder and scurvy resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C. Osteoporosis typically develops later in life and is not a direct consequence of untreated vitamin D deficiency in children; it is more related to prolonged deficiencies and other factors that affect bone density. Thus, rickets is the most direct and severe consequence of untreated vitamin D deficiency in children.