Vitamin D can promote the absorption of calcium and is very important for children's growth and development. Vitamin D deficiency can cause your child to develop bone changes, symptoms such as skull softening, rib beading, O- or X-shaped legs, and osteomalacia, which can cause systemic muscle and bone pain.
Many people know that vitamin D is the only nutrient that needs to be supplemented from birth to old age. However, most parents, in fact, do not know that their children's vitamin D supplement is not enough, but in accordance with the conventional amount to supplement,
Some experts pointed out that infants and adolescents are very deficient in vitamin D. The infant and young child deficiency rate is 12.5% and the under-deficiency rate is 43.7%; the pre-school and adolescent deficiency rate is 44.4%, and the under-deficiency rate is 38.9%.
That is to say, although we have been supplementing vitamin D for babies, it may be that for some reason, the amount of supplementation is not enough.
Vitamin D comes in two forms, vitamin D2, usually derived from food or supplements, and vitamin D3, which is synthesized by the skin through the sun.
Regardless of the source of vitamin D, it is metabolized by the liver in the body to form 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Therefore, if you want to know whether the vitamin D in your child's body is enough, you can judge it by measuring 25-hydroxyvitamin D.
So, is vitamin D testing necessary?
Generally speaking, before the age of 2, in order to prevent nutritional rickets, the doctor will recommend that the baby take 400 IU of vitamin D orally every day to protect the vitamin D content in the body.
However, after the age of 2, because there is no special emphasis, most parents often ignore the vitamin D supplement given to their children.
Therefore, it is necessary to do a 25-hydroxy vitamin D test to screen your child's vitamin D content!
Especially children with the following conditions:
Children with suspicion of rickets or a history of recurrent low-trauma fractures.
The child's examination found that the level of calcium, magnesium and other elements in the blood was abnormal;
If your child has abnormal parathyroid gland function, your doctor may also ask for a vitamin D test.
Dark-skinned children living at higher latitudes, especially those with a history of preterm birth;
Children who rarely do outdoors, or who are well covered when outdoors;
Exclusively breastfed infants or premature infants ingesting vitamin D supplements;
After starting complementary foods at 6 months of age, dietary vitamin intake is low and supplements are not used;
Dysplasia, delayed motor development;
Use of certain drugs that can easily lead to vitamin D deficiency;
Children with chronic disease (malabsorption-related disorders, chronic kidney disease, or liver disease)
If vitamin deficiencies or deficiencies are diagnosed, supplemental therapy needs to be increased on the advice of a doctor.
The normal dose is the recommended daily intake of 400 IU until the age of 1 year and the recommended daily intake of 600 IU after the age of 1 year. Typically, vitamin D is recommended for life.
However, it should be noted that the test results of 25-hydroxyvitamin D cannot be used as the only basis for diagnosing vitamin D deficiency rickets, and it needs to be combined with other clinical symptoms to make a comprehensive judgment.