Newborn babies are prone to illness, so parents should pay attention to their children's condition in daily life. Some newborns may suffer from rickets, which requires timely treatment. If the treatment time is delayed, it will increase the difficulty of treatment and prolong the child's recovery time. So, what is neonatal rickets?
Neonatal rickets refers to the condition in which a newborn baby suffers from vitamin D deficiency rickets. This is caused by a lack of vitamin D in the newborn's body, leading to metabolic disorders of calcium and phosphorus, and subsequently causing systemic and chronic skeletal disorders.
Neonatal rickets usually occurs in children around 3 months old, and at the onset, it is mainly characterized by neurological symptoms. Children may experience symptoms such as restless sleep, crying, and excessive sweating. After the child sweats, they will rub on the pillow due to scalp itching, which can lead to baldness on the pillow.
In the early stages of neonatal rickets, there may also be skeletal changes and delayed development of motor function. If you press down on the occipital or parietal position of the patient with your fingers, you can feel the skull sinking inward, and when released, it will bounce back, which is called ping-pong sign.
After a child suffers from rickets, the closure of the anterior fontanelle will be significantly delayed, and in severe cases, the anterior fontanelle may not be able to close by the age of 18 months. The sternum of the child may protrude forward to form a "chicken chest", and may also sink into a "funnel chest".
