Most cases of pediatric rickets are congenital, and if pregnant women do not consume enough calcium, their children may develop rickets after birth. Rickets is a common nutritional deficiency in infants and young children, also known as osteoporosis. Its main cause is vitamin D deficiency, which leads to abnormal calcium and phosphorus metabolism. So, how to treat pediatric rickets?
1. More exposure to sunlight promotes the synthesis of vitamin D: If a child suffers from rickets, the first thing to do is to expose them to more sunlight. According to research, 1 square centimeter of skin exposed to sunlight for 3 hours can produce approximately 20 international units of vitamin D. Even if a baby's entire body is tightly wrapped in clothing, exposing their face and sunbathing for 1 hour a day can still produce 400 international units of vitamin D. Sunbathing should be done by opening windows or going to the yard. In winter, children should be exposed to more sunlight. In addition, maternal exposure to sunlight during pregnancy and lactation is also beneficial for ensuring the supply of vitamin D to infants and young children and preventing rickets.
2. Proper supplementation of vitamin D: foods rich in vitamin D should be added to the diet, and the supplementation of vitamin D in nutritional supplements must be done according to medical advice. According to the child's condition, the course of treatment is determined to be about one month. Generally, calcium supplementation is needed in the early stages of treatment. Whether long-term calcium supplementation is necessary cannot be standardized. Generally, with the supplementation of vitamin D, calcium absorption will naturally increase. Premature infants should be given vitamin D in advance. Infants and young children should also receive vitamin D supplements during the winter and spring seasons. If children have chronic diarrhea or other chronic diseases, intramuscular vitamin D injections may be necessary. The treatment of infants with hand and foot twitching requires emergency cessation of convulsions, calcium therapy, and subsequent supplementation of vitamin D.
3. Drug therapy: The treatment of rickets mainly involves supplementing vitamin D and calcium supplements to prevent bone deformities and recurrence. The treatment of rickets also requires medication, preferably under the guidance of a doctor.
