Rickets in infants: signs and manifestations

Rickets is a disease that most children suffer from. Most often, the disease occurs in infants of the first years of life. It is extremely important to recognize and start treating rickets in infants at the right time. Signs that are specific to this disease, it is difficult not to notice. The main symptoms of the disease are described below.

What is rickets?

Where does rickets from babies take? Its signs may be different, but bones are especially affected. So you can understand that the essence of the disease lies in some changes that occur precisely in bone tissue. The main cause of rickets is a lack of vitamin D in the child's body. And it is extremely important, as it participates in the processes of assimilation of calcium and phosphorus. And if it is not enough, then phosphorus-calcium metabolism is disrupted. Calcium salts begin to be deposited in bones in a minimal amount, because of which the latter become soft and curved. It is believed that the disease spreads mainly to toddlers, since during the period of intensive growth the demand for this mineral is very high. But sometimes rickets and adults get sick.

Rickets in infants: signs and symptoms

How can you recognize this ailment? When the disease is just beginning to develop, the first signs of rickets in infants may not be so pronounced or resemble the manifestations of other diseases. But then the symptoms become more and more obvious, so you can understand that this is the disease. So how does rickets develop in infants? The signs of it are listed below.

1. Violations of a neurological nature. For example, a baby sweats heavily, especially when eating and sleeping. In this case, sweat has an acidic odor. In addition, the child is not sleeping well, frightened by sharp sounds and movements, trembling. The crumb is whimsical and restless, often crying for no apparent reason. Also, rickets in infants, whose symptoms are invisible at the initial stage, has such a manifestation: when you hold your finger along the skin, a red band is formed, and not white. The same sign is observed in older children.

2. On the part of the muscular system, such changes as a decrease in muscle tone and increased mobility of the joints are observed.

3. Bone tissue also changes . In particular, the bones of the skull (especially in the fontanel area) become very malleable. The head changes its shape, the back of the head may become oblique. In addition, the bones of the legs change. They acquire the O-shaped form (in other words, the legs are a "wheel"). Flat feet also develop.

4. There are digestive disorders: flatulence, decreased appetite, constipation.

5. The liver and spleen increase.

6. Anemia can develop.

7. Decreased immunity and, as a consequence, frequent illness in the child.

8. The abdomen greatly increases in size. This is very noticeable, since the legs become thin.

Such signs have rickets in infants. The photos make it clear that the appearance of the child at the last stages of the development of the disease becomes very specific, so that the symptoms in this case will not go unnoticed.

One can only add that if the treatment of the disease is started in time, the consequences will not be so sad. That is why it is extremely important in time (preferably at the initial stage) to identify the symptoms and tell them about the pediatrician who will put an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate treatment.