Why do children get rickets?

Rickets is a bone disorder caused by a deficiency of vitamin D, or by a disorder in vitamin D metabolism in the body. It is a common disease in young children, especially those under 1 year old.

According to statistics from the Nutrition Institute's Consultation Center, rickets is the most common disease and has been on the rise in recent years at the Center. So why do children get rickets?

Causes of rickets in children

According to Dr. Phan Bich Nga, MD, MSc, from the Nutrition Counseling Center, Institute of Nutrition, rickets can be caused by various factors. The most common causes are calcium deficiency or vitamin D deficiency, or both. A small number of children develop rickets due to phosphorus deficiency, prolonged use of anticonvulsant medication, certain genetic diseases, etc.; in this group, children will develop rickets even with sufficient calcium and vitamin D.

Lack of sunlight: The most common cause is the superstition of avoiding sunlight, fearing that children will get sick if they are exposed to early morning sun. This is a misconception held by many Vietnamese people.MaleAccording to experts, babies as young as two weeks old need sunbathing: ideally in the early morning (before 8 a.m.), or late afternoon if that's not possible. On average, 2 hours per week or 10-15 minutes per day is required, depending on the baby's ability and level of bone and motor development (if the baby is rarely sick or shows early signs of rickets, longer sunbathing sessions may be necessary).

Children's diets: Many parents feed their children cow's milk before the age of one, an age when the need for vitamin D is very high, and calcium reserves are often deficient in low-birth-weight or premature babies, leading to rickets. Alternatively, children who consume too much starch and protein (meat) may experience metabolic imbalances that increase calcium excretion in urine. Furthermore, the daily complementary feeding diet may lack or contain too little oil/fat, resulting in insufficient solvents for vitamin D absorption.

In addition, children who are more susceptible to rickets are premature babies, those with intrauterine malnutrition, infectious diseases, and children with prolonged digestive disorders.

Symptoms of rickets in children

- Children sweat excessively, even at night (night sweats); Children are irritable, have difficulty sleeping, and startle easily; Hair loss at the nape of the neck (due to excessive sweating); In acute cases, the following may occur: laryngeal stridor, silent crying spells, vomiting, and hiccups during feeding. Seizures may occur due to hypocalcemia; Children experience delayed motor development: delayed crawling, delayed walking.

- Delayed closure of the fontanelle, soft fontanelle edges, frontal bossing, parietal bossing; Delayed tooth eruption, frequent tooth decay, crooked teeth; Chicken-like rib cage, beaded rib cage; Ankle and wrist circumference, bowed limbs.

- In addition, if rickets is left untreated, children with rickets may experience loss of appetite, malnutrition, pale skin due to anemia, and an enlarged spleen.

Preventing rickets in children

- You should follow the prescription of a specialist doctor, because vitamin D is easily overdosed, causing dangerous neurotoxicity in children.

- Lifestyle and diet: Increase vitamin D intake from food: eggs, milk, butter, and fish liver are rich sources of vitamin D; milk and dairy products are often used to fortify vitamin D. In addition, some other foods such as infant formula, processed foods, and wheat flour are also fortified with vitamin D.

Regular sun exposure on sunny days: Sunbathing is a method of using early morning sunlight to directly contact the skin to synthesize vitamin D. Vitamin D plays a crucial role in the formation and growth of bones in children by increasing the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the intestinal lining.

Initially, sunbathing should only last a few minutes, regularly each day, then gradually increase the duration. When the child is 3 months old or older, sunbathing can last about 30 minutes. The average sunbathing time is about two hours per week or 10-15 minutes per day, depending on the child's tolerance for sun exposure and their level of bone and motor development.

According to VnMedia - PC