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How do you know if a child has rickets?
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 08.07.2025
Rickets is a widespread disease of children in the first two years of life. It is a disorder of phosphorus-calcium metabolism as a result of vitamin D deficiency in the body. To be more precise, not only vitamin D deficiency can cause rickets. Kidney and liver diseases, deficiency of some other vitamins also contribute to rickets. In addition to these factors, rickets can be caused by insufficient amounts of phosphorus and calcium - if their external intake is reduced, if their absorption in the gastrointestinal tract is impaired. Rickets is especially common in premature babies. Children in northern latitudes suffer from rickets much more often than those in the south. This is due to the fact that vitamin D is formed in the skin under the influence of ultraviolet rays. Previously, irradiation with ultraviolet lamps was included in the treatment regimen for rickets. But now it is known that the effect of ultraviolet radiation on the body is not as safe as it seems. And while there is no escape from solar ultraviolet radiation (you can get a tan even if you are in the shade, since ultraviolet rays can be reflected from sand, walls of houses, etc.), ultraviolet irradiation with a lamp is prohibited for both pregnant women and children: the carcinogenic effect of ultraviolet radiation on the skin is well known.
In addition, the presence of children in the sun is also dangerous because small children become dehydrated more quickly, they overheat much more often, and they suffer from sunstroke and heatstroke more often than older children.
Many parents "overlook" the initial symptoms of rickets. If the child begins to sweat more, "balls" of hair begin to appear on the back of his head, and then a bald spot forms - these are the first signs of rickets. If you do not start treating it at this stage, the process will go further, muscle tone will decrease, bones will become softer. You may notice that a child who constantly sleeps on one side or on his back has a deformation of the skull - either it becomes flattened on one side, or the back of the head becomes flat. Another symptom of rickets is two crowns. We will not list all the symptoms of the disease, but you should remember that the initial form of rickets, which is close to normal for children in middle latitudes, requires treatment.
The main treatment for rickets is sufficient (but not excessive) sun exposure in the summer, rational feeding, in which a sufficient amount of vitamin D will enter the child's body, and massage and gymnastics starting from two to three months of age. More severe forms of rickets should be treated by a doctor.
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