Rickets is a disorder that affects the bones, causing them to soften and break easily. It is most common in children. Rickets in child is not a strange disease but understanding it well to have some preventions is really important because this disease can have many bad effects in kid’s developing process.
Normally rickets in child is seldom in industrialized nations but has a high rate in some developing countries. The main cause of rickets is a lack of vitamin D. Vitamin D helps the body control calcium and phosphate levels. If the blood levels of these minerals become too low, the body may produce hormones that cause calcium and phosphate to be released from the bones. This leads to weak and soft bones.Not having enough calcium in one’s diet may also be a cause of rickets that causes vomiting and diarrhea. Some childhood kidney and liver diseases can cause rickets, as may a digestive disorder complication that affects calcium and phosphorous absorption.
We can easily realize if our baby is rickets by some following symptoms:
Muscle weakness
Delayed growth
Dental problems
Baby is floppy
Hair and teeth grow slowly
Pain in the spine, pelvis and legs
The child’s physical growth (height, weight) may be affected
Because rickets softens the growth plates at the ends of a child’s bones, it can cause skeletal deformities such as:
Breastbone projection
Bowed legs
Thickened wrists and ankles
Abnormally curved spine
You can take your kids to hospital to test if your babies are rickets or not by some methods such as : blood testing because serum calcium may reveal inadequate levels of calcium and phosphorus. Serum alkaline phosphatase levels may be high. Metabolic acidosis may be revealed by arterial blood gases or X-rays – these may reveal calcium loss in bones, or alterations in the structure or shape of the bones.
Once your kid is rickets, the necessary and important thing you need to do is provide Vitamin D for your kids by many ways:
Food: You can choose food that conclude Vitamin D such as : pumpkin, butter, cheese, egg yolks, milk, shrimp, crab, yogurt, orange juice etc… especial cod liver oil, halibut-liver oil, and viosterol are all sources of vitamin D.
Sunlight: You should take your baby go out, create many outdoor activities so that your baby can have sunbath everyday. In other words ì you live in areas with a lot of sunlight, the best way to prevent rickets is to expose the infant/child to the sun. While exposure to sunlight is a good source of vitamin D, it is important not to overdo it – excess sunlight exposure can lead to sunburn and eventually skin cancer.
Take your baby to hospital to have periodical test and carry out all above advice, you can be sure that your baby will growth healthy.