Symptoms of rickets in babies - information for parents
Rickets is a polydisease of metabolism, which is accompanied by a deficiency of vitamin D. Most often, the disease is diagnosed in children under the age of three. Signs of rickets in children under 1 year of age are muscle hypotonia, curvature of tubular bones, flattening of the back of the head, deformation of the chest. Among the risk factors: prematurity, high weight of the newborn, multiple pregnancy, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract in the baby and heredity.
Causes of childhood rickets:
- improper feeding (insufficient intake of phosphorus and calcium with food);
- artificial feeding;
- increased level of need for minerals during the period of intensive growth of the baby's body;
- violation of calcium and phosphorus transport;
- endo- and exogenous deficiency of vitamin D;
- endocrinological diseases;
- diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- heredity.
It has been proven that boys are more prone to rickets than girls.
Stages of development of rickets
There are three degrees of severity of the disease: mild, moderate and severe.
The first degree is asymptomatic. The second is characterized by small changes in the bone system and internal organs. The third is characterized by damage to the nervous system, delays in physical and psychological development, and numerous deformities in the bones and spine.
In addition, acute, subacute and recurrent rickets are distinguished.
The acute course is characterized by neurological symptoms and the phenomena of osteomalacia (pain in the bones, muscle hypotonia, hypotrophy, deformation of skeletal bones and pathological fractures).
The subacute course is accompanied by osteoid hyperplasia (growth of osteoid tissue). The pathology is manifested by thickening of the wrist, parietal and frontal tubercles, "rickets rosaries", thickening of the interphalangeal joints on the fingers.
For the recurrent stage of the development of rickets, alternating periods of exacerbation and remission with the preservation of residual phenomena are characteristic.
Clinical variants of the disease: phosphopenic, calcipenic and rickets without pronounced changes in calcium and phosphorus indicators.
In addition to primary rickets, pediatricians distinguish secondary rickets, which develops against the background of metabolic pathology, chronic diseases of the kidneys and biliary tract, as well as with long-term use of anticonvulsant drugs.
On our website Dobrobut.com you will find more information about which vitamin deficiency causes rickets in a person, and you can make an appointment with a pediatrician. If necessary, the center can undergo a complete diagnosis, including laboratory tests.
Symptoms of rickets in babies
Among the signs that can appear as early as the third or fourth month after birth are: constipation, baldness on the back of the head, crying for no reason, restlessness, increased sweating. Early diagnosis and proper treatment guarantee the full recovery of the baby.
Secondary symptoms of rickets in babies:
- increasing muscle weakness;
- obvious lags in motor development (the baby does not hold his head well, cannot turn over and sit down on his own without help);
- late teething;
- deformation of the bones of the trunk, skull and spine;
- big forehead, flat back of the head, X-shaped deformation of the legs;
- "frog" belly;
- disorders from internal organs.
With qualified treatment of rickets in children, improvement occurs after 2-3 months, however, the formed bone deformities, as a rule, do not disappear completely. Some (large forehead, flattened nape, deformed chest) remain for life.
Diagnostics
The diagnosis is made after a thorough examination of the baby and receiving the results of additional examinations (laboratory studies, ultrasound, densitometry and CT of tubular bones and X-ray). The latter is rarely used.
Laboratory studies: blood analysis for electrolytes, analysis for alkaline phosphatase activity, analysis for vitamin D metabolites.
It is important to carry out a differential diagnosis of rickets with hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy, rickets-like diseases and congenital dislocation of the hip.
How to treat thoracic rickets, prevention
Treatment consists in the correct organization of the daily routine, full nutrition, drug and non-drug therapy.
Specific treatment is the appointment of vitamin D. The dose of the drug is selected by the pediatrician individually, depending on the severity of the disease.
How to treat thoracic rickets - non-medicinal methods:
- healing massage and gymnastics;
- sun and salt baths;
- UFO;
- hardening.
Prevention of rickets in a child is divided into prenatal and postnatal. Prenatal - full nutrition of a pregnant woman, mandatory intake of special vitamin and mineral complexes and sufficient stay in the fresh air. Postnatal - breastfeeding of the baby, vitamin intake and rational nutrition of the woman, as well as preventive massage of the child.
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