The first signs of rickets in infants include increased sweating, irritability and fearfulness. With such symptoms, a visit to a doctor is required, who will prescribe vitamin D treatment for the child.
Disorder of phosphorus-calcium metabolism, or rickets, is the second most common disease in babies under one year old. Rickets is characterized by a lack of vitamin D in the body, which negatively affects the development and growth of the child. The risk group includes children who were born prematurely or with excessive weight, receive artificial feeding and live in conditions of lack of natural light.
What are the signs of rickets in babies
The first signs of rickets can be seen in babies aged two to four months. If you do not take action, by six months the child will have a detailed picture of the disease. As a rule, rickets manifests itself in winter, early spring or in the last autumn months, when babies are rarely outdoors in direct sunlight. As a result, the body disrupts the synthesis of vitamin D, which is necessary for the proper functioning of the central nervous system and the formation of the skeletal system.
The first symptoms of rickets:
1. Increased irritability and fearfulness: the child often cries, shudders at a bright flash of light and loud sounds.
2. Profuse perspiration even at moderate ambient temperatures. The baby sweats a lot during sleep and during any kind of physical activity: games, feeding. Sweat irritates the skin, causing the child to constantly rub their head against the pillow. As a result, the hairs on the back of the head gradually fall out with the formation of the so-called rachitic bald spot.
3. Changes in the biochemical composition of blood. Blood tests during this period will show an increase in phosphatase activity and a decrease in phosphorus content.
It is very important during this period to consult a local doctor who will select the optimal dose of vitamin D for the child. Without treatment, the disease develops very quickly and after three to four weeks passes into the next stage, which is called "blooming" rickets.
Signs of "blooming" rickets in infants
Deficiency of vitamin D leads to bone deformities: the child's parietal and occipital bones soften, the ribs are bent and squeezed, the bones of the pelvis and lower extremities are deformed - the legs thus take the shape of the letter X or O. Children with rickets, later than their peers, begin to sit, crawl and walk, get sick more often and for a longer time.
For the prevention of rickets, there are effective measures: at the age of four weeks, the child is prescribed a daily intake of a solution of vitamin D3. This helps to stabilize calcium-phosphorus metabolism and prevent the development of the disease.
