A mother told me that when she took her child to a physical examination, the doctor recommended that the child have a bone density test.
She said that she remembered that this test seemed to be not allowed to be done many years ago, why did the doctor still let it be done? Can not do, she is worried about the child's calcium deficiency, for a time do not know what to do?
In fact, not only this mother, several mothers have also told me the same situation, the doctor recommended to let the child do bone density testing, after doing the child's calcium deficiency, they opened a bunch of calcium tablets.
So, what exactly is bone density testing? Can we really detect whether a child is deficient in calcium?
Before we know if bone density testing is effective in children, let's take a look at what bone density is.
Bone density refers to the amount of bone minerals contained per unit volume or unit area, which is an important indicator of bone strength, providing a basis for diagnosing osteoporosis, predicting fracture risk and evaluating the effect of drug treatment.
At present, the commonly used methods for detecting bone density are dual-energy X-ray absorption detection, quantitative computed tomography, peripheral quantitative computed tomography and quantitative ultrasound.
Among them, dual-energy X-ray absorption bone density detection is the main basis for diagnosing osteoporosis.
So if the bone density value is low after doing it, does it mean that the child is deficient in calcium?
Not really.
In general, children's bone density is low, is a signal of rapid growth, indicating that the child's bones are growing and elongating rapidly, maintaining low density can allow more calcium to fill in, if the bone density is normal, it means that the child's bones have stopped growing, which is the problem.
Bone density test results are the basis for the diagnosis of osteoporosis, and the mainland also includes bone density testing in the routine physical examination of people over 40 years old.
However, most children's hospitals in mainland China have limited equipment and lack a standard reference for normal bone density values for children of all ages, and even if bone density tests are done, it is difficult to know whether the results are normal.
Therefore, bone density testing is not necessary as a routine physical examination item for children. Bone density testing does not have any guiding significance for children's growth and development.
Although bone density testing is not necessary as a routine physical examination for children, bone density testing is required if children have recurrent fractures, bone pain, bone deformities, and ordinary imaging cannot detect osteoporosis.
We all know that children in the growth and development stage, calcium is an essential trace element of the body, calcium deficiency will affect the normal growth of children, so in daily life we must do the following points to ensure that children intake of sufficient calcium.
1. Strengthen nutrition and a balanced diet. As we all know, the biggest source of nutrition for our human body is food, so it is recommended to give children food rich in calcium and protein in daily life, develop good eating habits, not picky eating, not partial to food.
2. Plenty of sunshine. Adequate sunlight can promote the synthesis of vitamin D in the human body, and vitamin D can help the body absorb calcium. Of course, the sun is not the longer the sun is better, it is generally recommended to be between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., 15 to 30 minutes of sun exposure, but also need to pay attention to avoid strong sun exposure, so as not to sunburn the skin.
3. Exercise in moderation. Exercise plays a key role in children's growth and development, improves children's physical agility and balance, and also contributes to bone growth and development.