Rickets, also known as vitamin D deficiency rickets, is a chronic nutritional disease characterized by skeletal abnormalities caused by insufficient vitamin D and disrupted calcium and phosphorus metabolism in infants, children, and adolescents. How to prevent rickets? Here are some tips.
Causes of Rickets
Rickets, also known as vitamin D deficiency rickets, is mainly caused by a lack of vitamin D in the body, which leads to metabolic bone disorders due to disrupted calcium and phosphorus metabolism.
Infantile rickets is mainly caused by vitamin D deficiency. Infants who are breastfed or fed formula milk, as well as children who consume 400 milliliters of milk daily, generally do not lack calcium and do not need additional calcium supplements.
When the body has sufficient vitamin D, it promotes the absorption of calcium and phosphorus because bone development is dependent on calcium and phosphorus, and vitamin D plays a decisive role in calcium and phosphorus metabolism. Other hormones in the body, such as parathyroid hormone and calcitonin, also actively participate in calcium and phosphorus metabolism. The interaction between hormones maintains normal calcium and phosphorus metabolism and normal bone development.
Therefore, it is important to supplement vitamin D to treat infantile rickets. Sources of vitamin D include sunlight exposure, dietary intake, and taking vitamin D supplements.
Prevention of Rickets
Supplementing cod liver oil and calcium is one effective method of preventing rickets.
During the period from birth to 6 months, infants experience a physiological calcium deficiency period and need to supplement calcium regardless of whether they have symptoms or not.
However, simply supplementing calcium is not enough. It is also necessary to ensure its full absorption, and vitamin D can help with calcium absorption.
Vitamin D is found in small amounts in food, and infant diets are often monotonous, so only a small amount can be obtained from food.
Sun exposure can convert a substance in the skin into vitamin D, and this is the safest way to supplement vitamin D without the risk of vitamin D toxicity.
It is important to note that sun exposure should be done outdoors and not through glass, as ultraviolet rays cannot penetrate glass.
In addition, the immature gastrointestinal function of infants can also affect absorption, so it is recommended to supplement some beneficial bacteria for the intestines while supplementing calcium.
Supplementing vitamin AD (cod liver oil) while supplementing calcium can help increase calcium absorption. However, excessive consumption of cod liver oil can lead to toxicity.
Acute poisoning of vitamin A and D can cause increased intracranial pressure, manifested as headache, nausea, vomiting, irritability, mental fatigue, and bulging fontanelles, often mistaken for meningitis.
Chronic poisoning manifests as loss of appetite, fever, diarrhea, angular cheilitis, hair loss, itchy skin, anemia, polyuria, and so on.
If the above symptoms occur, stop taking cod liver oil, reduce sun exposure, and seek medical attention immediately.
