Does rickets have anything to do with milk powder?

Written by Tong Peng

Pediatrics

Updated on February 27, 2025

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Rickets is not necessarily linked to formula milk. Rickets is mainly a metabolic bone disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin D in the body, while the main components of formula milk are various nutrients, including trace elements and vitamins. If the formula contains insufficient calcium, it may exacerbate the symptoms of rickets. Therefore, the main requirement is to intake enough vitamin D. National child healthcare guidelines require that children be supplemented with 400 to 800 units of vitamin D daily from two weeks after birth until the age of two. Additionally, it is important to get ample sunlight in daily life and engage in reasonable outdoor activities to promote calcium absorption, which can effectively prevent rickets. The amount of vitamin D and calcium in formula milk cannot meet the growth and developmental needs of children, so additional supplementation is necessary. Thus, there is a certain connection between rickets and formula milk, but it is not inevitable.

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Written by Yao Li Qin

Pediatrics

1min 7sec

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Rickets lack what vitamin

Rickets, also known as vitamin D deficiency rickets, is a chronic nutritional disease characterized by bone lesions, caused by insufficient vitamin D in a child's body, leading to disrupted calcium and phosphorus metabolism. Typically, it is evident in the incomplete mineralization of the growing long bones' metaphyseal ends and bone tissue, resulting in the softening or deformation of the bones. All children, including full-term infants after two weeks, premature infants, twins, and low birth weight infants after one week, should start supplementing with vitamin D. This is because the content of vitamin D in foods, such as breast milk or various infant formulas, is not sufficient to meet the needs of children. Therefore, a lack of timely vitamin D supplementation after birth can lead to a deficiency and consequently rickets, a disease caused by a lack of vitamin D. (Please use medication under the guidance of a professional physician, and do not medicate blindly.)

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Written by Tong Peng

Pediatrics

46sec

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How to determine if a baby has rickets

The diagnosis of rickets in infants should rely on the level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in the blood and the examination of the long bones through X-rays imaging, rather than early symptoms. However, due to the young age of infants, it is recommended to supplement vitamin D within two weeks after birth. If the supplementation is not timely, some early clinical manifestations may appear occasionally, such as brachycephaly, bowed legs, and pigeon chest in infants. Additionally, there may be abnormalities in the nervous system, such as unstable sleep, easily startled and crying, and increased excitability. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the condition through the aforementioned tests and then proceed with symptomatic treatment.

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Written by Yao Li Qin

Pediatrics

1min 13sec

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Clinical manifestations of rickets

Rickets, also known as vitamin D deficiency rickets, occurs because children do not supplement vitamin D in a timely manner after birth, leading to a deficiency of vitamin D in the body and resulting in a nutritional metabolic disease primarily involving skeletal changes. In the early stages, children mainly show symptoms related to mental and emotional state, such as irritability, crying, excessive sweating, shaking their heads back and forth, and rubbing their heads. Subsequently, symptoms like bald patches on the back of the head and softening of the skull bones may appear. As children grow, they may develop conditions such as a square-shaped skull, beaded ribs, pigeon chest, funnel chest, and bracelet-like deformities around the wrists and ankles. In severe cases, children may later develop X-shaped legs and O-shaped legs. If rickets is suspected, it is crucial to promptly conduct a blood test to measure the vitamin D level. If the level is below normal, it is essential to actively treat the diagnosed rickets.

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Written by Li Jiao Yan

Neonatology

1min 24sec

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Early manifestations of rickets

Rickets is a disease caused by a lack of vitamin D, which leads to a disorder in calcium and phosphorus metabolism, resulting in abnormal bone development. It primarily appears in the early stages in infants within six months old, and particularly within three months after birth. The initial presentation is an increase in nervous excitability, such as fussiness and unease in children, symptoms like excessive internal heat and sweating, especially more sweat on the head. Continuous sweating can lead to significant baldness at the back of the head. Sometimes, children may exhibit constant head shaking, but these are not very specific symptoms. Early detection involves decreased blood calcium and phosphorus levels, increased parathyroid hormone levels, and decreased levels of related markers in blood tests. Early bone X-rays appear normal, so initial symptoms are not so typical. Therefore, it is recommended that infants be taken to a pediatrician for a physical examination as soon as possible, where their developmental status can be assessed and rickets can be diagnosed. If it is early-stage vitamin D deficiency rickets, timely supplementation of vitamin D levels can be an effective cure.

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Written by Li Jiao Yan

Neonatology

1min 1sec

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Can rickets be cured?

Can rickets be cured? Rickets is a type of nutritional disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin D, which disrupts the body's calcium and phosphorus metabolism and leads to abnormal bone development. The common form is nutritional vitamin D deficiency rickets. This type of disease is self-limiting and can be cured. Once children engage in sufficient outdoor activities and supplement their vitamin D levels, they can be completely cured. There are also some special cases, such as severe liver and kidney diseases caused by vitamin D deficiency, and some genetic diseases. These diseases require treatment to promote the absorption of vitamin D. However, for genetic diseases, treating rickets with vitamin D is ineffective, and these cases are more difficult to treat. For liver and kidney diseases, if the condition can be effectively controlled, they can also be cured.