Rachitic rosary

What it means

A row of beadlike prominences at the junction of a rib and its cartilage (i.e., enlarged costochondral joints), resembling a rosary. Note that rachitic rosary would have one bead per rib (a swelling at the costochondral junction), while beaded ribs in the context of multiple rib fractures have multiple beads (fractures) along the same rib.

Nutritional rickets (NR), secondary to vitamin D deficiency and/or dietary calcium deficiency, is characterized by a range of features including 1) hypocalcemic seizures and tetanic spasms; 2) life-threatening hypocalcemic cardiomyopathy; 3) bone pain and muscle weakness; 4) limb and pelvic deformities; 5) failure to thrive; 6) developmental delay; and 7) dental anomalies. Rickets can additionally be caused by genetic defects such as a defect in the vitamin D receptor gene.

Rare diseases that can present with this3

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category