Signs of rickets in children up to a year

Such a disease as rickets, is found in all countries of the world and is known for a long time. It is mainly due to a violation of phosphorus-calcium metabolism due to a lack of vitamin D and is a bending of the bones. Vitamin D is necessary for any person, but for a growing and developing organism in particular. It is required for the normal formation of bones, as well as the regulation of metabolic processes involving calcium and phosphorus. Replenishment of vitamin D in the body occurs due to food intake, and also due to a special skin enzyme, which under the influence of ultraviolet rays is converted into vitamin.

Risk of Vitamin

Shortage If there is a shortage of this vitamin, a lack of fresh air, a metabolic disorder, and rickets develop, a common disease that mainly affects young children. The onset and aggravation of the disease is observed, mainly in late autumn, winter and early spring, when there is very little sunlight and there is not enough time to spend on the street. Rickets affect the bones and nervous system of children, in particular, those born weakened or in a large northern megalopolis with polluted ecology.
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Vitamin D

The high-risk group includes babies:

who were born before the term, and also full-term, but with a small weight, twins;
mothers who suffered from toxicosis or other diseases during pregnancy;
on artificial feeding;
allergic, suffering from diathesis, liver and bile duct disease;
with poor genetics in the part of phosphorus-calcium metabolism;
receiving some types of medication;
deprived of the ability to actively move.

The parents of such a child should consult with the pediatrician after the birth of this child, in order to exclude the possibility of the formation of this disease.

What are the signs of rickets

The child often fusses up

Signs of rickets in children under one year may appear imperceptibly, but literally in the first months of life, especially those born before the term, who are on artificial feeding, with small or, conversely, increased body weight. And, according to statistics, boys are more likely than girls to be affected by illness. Rickets is a tricky disease, at the initial stages of the disease, parents may not even attach it to signs of special significance, taking them for innocent childish whims. However, if you leave the first signs of rickets without attention, the probability of serious consequences that may develop as a result of the progression of this pathology( up to disability) increases.

Please note! In rickets, the behavior of the baby changes in the first place. He becomes nervous and fastidious, periods of increased excitability and anxiety are replaced by apathy.

The child looks sluggish, weak, quickly tired and can even lose the already learned skills. Unreasonable flinches, fear of bright light and unexpected noises can also be a symptom of rickets . The mode is broken: the child hardly falls asleep, sleep is restless and intermittent, may be accompanied by crying, and the appetite worsens or disappears altogether. Similarly, violations of the gastrointestinal tract - diarrhea or, conversely, constipation, vomiting and just frequent regurgitation are characteristic.

In addition, the baby begins to sweat strongly during active activities - feeding, playing, crying. This is especially evident in the head region and regardless of the ambient temperature. In this case, sweat becomes viscous, with an unpleasant sour smell, causes itching and irritation of the skin, puffiness and intertrigo appear, which are difficult to heal. Hair on the back of the head rolls and falls, bald patches are formed, veins are clearly visible on the head. At this stage of the change in the bones, the x-ray will not show.

The development of the disease

In the case of rickets, the legs

Rickets is a rapidly developing disease. If you ignore these symptoms and do not take measures in time, then in less than a month, visible changes can begin - they become soft and supple the bones of the skull and thorax, they easily feel the seams, the edges of the fontanelle fuse badly and slowly, which makes the headflat or square. The muscles are weakened, the joints are loose, there is an increased trauma danger. The child becomes poorly trained - he is not able to hold his head, does not seek to crawl, sit, walk. Teeth erupt much later than in peers, and may already be prone to tooth decay, changes in bite. Gradually the spine, shins and clavicles curve, the ribs thicken, the chest and abdominal muscles change, the flat feet develop and irregular posture develops, the legs are often bent and the pelvis tapers. In some cases, even a hump may appear. There are abnormalities in the work of internal organs and respiratory organs: enlargement of the liver and spleen, impaired renal function, dyspnea.

Please note! Children who become ill with rickets suffer from anemia, decreased immunity and, as a consequence, are prone to viral infections. With especially neglected, severe forms of rickets, children do not have the opportunity to sit and walk alone, which also affects the psychological state.

Signs of rickets

It is very important when you find the first symptoms of rickets immediately contact your local doctor!

Please note! The timely treatment will help prevent further development of the disease, and so that there will be no consequences.

Treatment is relatively simple and feasible financially - the main thing is not to start the disease and go to the fight against it with all seriousness, because the consequences of rickets can last a lifetime!

Comments of Dr. Komarovsky

Dr. Komarovsky

E.O.Komarovsky, a children's doctor, Ph. D., a well-known author of books and TV programs devoted to children's health, is of the opinion that rickets is a rare disease, and most of the signs on which this diagnosis is made, such as sweating, anxiety and bald patches on the head in children beforemay be caused by other factors. He refers to the manifestations of rickets as a slowing of growth, refusal to eat, pain in the bones, an increase in the joints of the hands and feet, curvature of the legs and lethargic muscles, frequent fractures, thickening of the ribs and softening of the cranial bones, frontal and parietal areas. All these symptoms must necessarily serve as an excuse for additional examinations - X-rays and analyzes for calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D in the blood.

Dr. Komarovsky is sure - rickets in healthy children with normal body weight, who are breastfed and who stay in the street for at least a short period of time, are very rare. By the way, taking supplemental vitamins in this case disappears by itself.

Please note! Breast milk provides the baby with all the necessary substances and trace elements, and staying in the sun for at least a few minutes provides the body with a sufficient vitamin D.

Prevention and treatment

It is necessary to walk more

The child begins to absorb vitamin D even during the third trimester of pregnancy, so the expectant mothercare should be taken to prevent rickets in the baby. It is very important to observe the regime of the day, eat right, take the necessary multivitamins, walk more in the fresh air.

A good prevention of rickets is natural feeding and timely introduction of complementary foods, daily walks on the street, light exercises, massage and swimming, after six months - baths with sea salt are useful.

Please note! With proper and high-quality nutrition, the emergence of vitamin D deficiency in the body is simply impossible! The intake of this vitamin for prevention( as well as other vitamins!) Should be started only after consultation with the pediatrician. This especially applies to artificial insects, because in modern mixtures vitamins are already contained, and an overdose can be fatal.

However, if there are still symptoms characteristic of this pathology , and rickets was confirmed by the results of the examinations and tests, it is necessary to begin treatment immediately. In case of rickets, children are not sent to a hospital, the treatment goes home and is aimed at eliminating the vitamin D deficiency and correcting the disorders that have already occurred in the body.

Baby food contains vitamin D

Dr. Komarovsky supports other children's physicians prescribing calcium preparations and a synthetic variant of vitamin D - its oily and aqueous solutions. However, this method is not always rational - in fact very much depends on the nutrition of the child. So, if in his diet there are artificial mixtures or porridges - from taking the drug should be discarded, because he is already a part of the baby food( by the way, in breast milk it is also enough).The exception is children with intestinal disorders( this disrupts the body's ability to absorb vitamins), children receiving cow's milk instead of the adapted mixture and children whose menu consists of 1/3 of the usual foods. In such cases, the approach should be individual, and treatment is possible only under the supervision of the attending physician. The fact is that an overdose of vitamin D can lead to intoxication - calcium salts accumulate in the blood and poisoning of the body occurs. In addition, in rare cases, the drug can cause allergic reactions. Therefore, it is necessary to strictly observe all the recommendations of the attending physician, dosage and duration of admission!

Doctor Komarovsky says - in addition to medicines, there are other ways of obtaining the necessary amount of vitamin D.

. Food for a deficiency of vitamin D

The best of them is sunbathing. These are regular walks in an open wheelchair under the sunlight in the summer and ultraviolet irradiation procedures in the winter. If the baby is breastfed and still lacks vitamin D - the mother needs to take the proper medications and eat fish oil, beef, butter, cod liver. It's good to start luring a sick kid with vegetable puree( with half a year), and in a month to add to it an egg yolk. Children who are already accustomed to adult food should be limited in consumption of flour, as it interferes with the absorption of calcium. Bathing in ordinary water is good alternating with pine and salt baths.

Thus, the treatment of rickets should be combined: specific - with the use of calcium and vitamin D preparations and nonspecific - stay in the fresh air, proper nutrition with enough protein, vitamins and minerals, worked out schedule of wakefulness and sleep, general peace of the baby, massage, Exercise therapy.

Proper treatment will help to quickly improve the child's well-being.