Rickets: symptoms, prevention and treatment

Rickets is a disease, which is not always recognizable to all parents in the initial stage. This is due to the way rickets are manifested: at first you can observe only some changes in the behavior of the child, which most adults do not associate with the disease.

Rickets, the symptoms of which appear already in the first months of the baby's life, is a consequence of the lack of vitamin D in his body. The disease gradually begins: the child becomes restless, fearful and whiny, shudders from the slightest knock or noise. Since many babies behave in this way, parents often do not attach importance to these symptoms. They can be cautious of other signs characteristic of the initial stage of rickets: the baby sweats heavily (especially the palms, soles and the scalp), his hair falls on the back of his neck. If you do not take action, after a few weeks, other changes become noticeable, especially in the bone tissue, as a lack of vitamin D leads to a violation of calcium phosphorus metabolism.

Symptoms of the disease at this stage become more recognizable: when examining a child, the pediatrician marks the compliance of the bones of the skull in the area of the sutures; Begin to soften the occipital bones - so that gradually deforms the head. Due to these signs of rickets, the symptoms of which at the very beginning of the disease to recognize is not so simple, it is easily diagnosed. In parallel, deformities of the leg bones (in the form of the letters "O" or "X") and the chest - depression or, on the contrary, the bulge of the sternum develop. In a child older than 6-8 months, rickets, the manifestations of which are already becoming apparent by this time, can lead to the formation of bone thickenings on the ribs and wrists ("beads"), and on the forehead and temples (frontal or temporal hillocks).

A kid suffering from rickets develops worse: it starts to turn over late, sit, get up and walk. It does not last long for the fontanel; Later, than in other children, teeth erupt. Rickets, the symptoms of which are quite unpleasant, often leads to a curvature of the spine: scoliosis, lordosis or kyphosis. The reason for this is not only the softening of the bones, but also muscle hypotension (decreased muscle tone). With the advanced stage of the disease, an abdominal bulge ("frog stomach") is also observed, which leads to a disruption in the functions of the internal organs; Hypochromic anemia often develops . Children suffering from severe rickets noticeably lag behind in psychomotor development.

Rickets are diagnosed on the basis of a child's examination, as well as laboratory data, during which the parameters of calcium and phosphorus metabolism in the body are determined, first of all. Differential diagnosis is performed with some hereditary diseases, the so-called rachitis-like, in which violations of calcium-phosphorus metabolism are also observed.

The treatment of rickets is the administration of vitamin D (videochol, calciferol), usually in combination with other vitamins - A, B, C, E. With advanced forms of the disease, fortifying agents are shown and improve metabolic processes in the body (for example, asparks, potassium orotate) , As well as calcium preparations. The child is prescribed a course of massage, physical therapy. Baths with coniferous extract or sea salt, wiping are also useful. With timely treatment begun and observance of all medical recommendations, the state of the baby improves noticeably within 30-45 days, and eventually the final recovery also occurs. At this stage, only the bone changes that have been preserved indicate the transferred rickets.

Prevention of rickets is in the intake of vitamin D: its daily norm for an infant is usually 500-1000 IU (in the treatment of rickets - 2000-5000 IU, depending on its degree). Most often, the children are discharged with an aqueous solution called "Akvadetrim". It is quite harmless and effective, however, it is not necessary to give it to the child independently, without the doctor's appointment: individual intolerance of the drug is possible. Avoid the subsequent development of rickets in the baby will help and compliance with a pregnant woman's diet and walks, as well as taking her multivitamin preparations.

Regularly, according to the schedule, visit the pediatrician: rickets, the symptoms of which parents may not yet be visible, is often found during a medical examination. Early diagnosis of this disease will help to begin its treatment in time and avoid unpleasant consequences - in particular, harmful and unaesthetic bone deformities, which will be virtually impossible to get rid of later.