Question
What is the definition of congenital rickets and what are its symptoms? What is the relationship between congenital rickets and congenital asthma wheezing?
Answer
Congenital rickets is a pediatric skeletal disease with early symptoms that may include thinning hair, alopecia at the nape, pigeon chest, funnel chest, and ectropion of the inner canthus. As children grow older, they may also develop O-shaped or X-shaped legs. The relationship between rickets and congenital asthma wheezing may lie in the fact that skeletal development abnormalities such as chest deformities may lead to reduced lung capacity, thereby causing regional inflammation and increasing the risk of asthma. Preventing rickets requires not only calcium supplementation but also the addition of vitamin A and vitamin D from 15 days after birth. Especially for premature infants, the supplement dosage should be doubled compared to full-term infants. Regular observations should be made during the supplementation period, and dosages should be adjusted under physician guidance. If vitamin D supplementation is ineffective, further checks should be conducted. Once skeletal development abnormalities such as pigeon chest or funnel chest occur, recovery becomes more difficult.