Rickets is more common in infants and young children. This disease is also known as vitamin D deficiency rickets, which is caused by insufficient vitamin D in the body, leading to phosphorus and calcium metabolism disorders, which can cause a series of clinical symptoms. So, what are the symptoms of baby rickets?
1. Rickets is more common in infants and young children aged 3 to 18 months. The main symptom is changes in the bones of the fastest growing parts of the body. This can also affect muscle development and changes in nerve excitability, and the clinical symptoms of rickets may vary among babies of different ages.
2. The initial symptoms of rickets are within six months, especially in infants under three months old, often manifested as increased neural excitability, such as occipital baldness, irritability, excessive sweating, irritability, etc.
3. Rickets in infants under 6 months of age is mainly characterized by changes in the skull, such as thin skull, soft edge of the anterior fontanelle, and a ping-pong like sensation when lightly pressed. Around 8 months of age, there may be an increase in head circumference compared to normal, and the head shape may change to a square skull. Around one year old, the sternum and adjacent cartilage may protrude forward, presenting as a chicken chest like deformity.
After one year of age, babies with rickets may experience increased weight-bearing on their lower limbs due to learning to walk, stand, and walk. This can lead to bending of the tibia, femur, and fibula, resulting in severe varus or valgus of the knee and X-shaped or O-shaped leg deformities in the lower limbs.
