Patient's question:
My child has always had a problem—whenever they get sick, their throat gets sore. What could be the reason? Sometimes, when it gets severe, they breathe quite heavily. I took them to the children's hospital for a check-up, but they didn't say much; they just prescribed some medication. What could be the actual cause?First follow-up question: The child was weaned at seven months. Could that be related to this issue as well? The child is underweight, doesn't eat well, and also has their ribs sticking out. What could be the reason for this? Just because others say the child is calcium-deficient does that mean it's true? Please give me a satisfactory answer from a doctor.
Doctor's answer:
There are two reasons for infant rib flaring: one is simple rib developmental deformity, and the other is caused by rickets.Most children's rib flaring is due to rickets. It is recommended to take your child to the hospital for a doctor to confirm whether the condition is rib flaring and whether there are other clinical signs of rickets. Blood calcium tests should also be conducted to diagnose whether the child has rickets based on these comprehensive factors. If rickets is confirmed, treatment is necessary. The amount of calcium and vitamin D supplementation will be determined based on the test results. At the same time, it is important to help the child with chest expansion exercises, which can help improve chest deformities caused by rickets.
Another main cause of rib flaring is that the child's waistband of the pants is too tight and tied too high, leading to long-term compression of rib development. Doctors recommend that children under two years old should wear onesies.