Problems in the teeth, difficulty walking and delayed development and growth of the child are some of the symptoms of Rickets, a disease that affects the development of children's bones, leaving them fragile, soft and deformed.
Rickets can be diagnosed by the pediatrician through a physical examination, and its main cause is a lack of vitamin D, which affects the structure and development of bones. The treatment of this disease usually involves replacing vitamin D with multivitamin complexes and foods rich in vitamin D, such as cod liver oil, salmon, horse mackerel or boiled egg, for example. Find out all about this disease in Understand what Rickets is.
Main Symptoms of Rickets
The main symptoms of rickets usually include:
- Problems in teeth, such as delayed growth of teeth, crooked teeth or fragile enamel;
- Child's reluctance to walk;
- Easy tiredness;
- Delay in the child's development;
- Short stature;
- Weak bones, with a greater tendency to fractures;
- Arching of the legs and arms;
- Thickening and deformation of the ankles, wrists or knees;
- Soft skull bones;
- Curvature and deformations in the spine.
In addition, when there is also a lack of calcium in the body, other symptoms such as spasms, muscle cramps and tingling in the hands and feet may also appear.
How Diagnosis can be done
The diagnosis of rickets can be made by the Pediatrician, who will perform a physical examination to assess whether the bones are soft, fragile, painful or have deformities.
If the physical examination shows changes and if the doctor suspects rickets, he may order an X-ray of the bones and blood tests to assess the amount of vitamin D and calcium in the blood.
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