Patient's question:
What are the symptoms of active rickets? How is it treated?Doctor's answer:
Key Treatment Points1. General Therapy
Enhance nursing care, engage in outdoor activities frequently, get adequate sunlight exposure, provide proper nutrition, and actively prevent and treat complications.
2. Medication Therapy
Vitamin D preparations:
- In the initial phase, take 5,000–10,000 IU of vitamin D orally daily for one month. For those unable to adhere to oral administration, vitamin D2 can be administered intramuscularly at 400,000 IU per dose (or 300,000 IU of vitamin D3), repeated once or twice with a one-month interval between doses.
- During the acute phase, take 10,000–20,000 IU of vitamin D orally daily for one month. For those unable to adhere to oral administration, vitamin D2 can be administered intramuscularly at 400,000 IU per dose (or 300,000 IU of vitamin D3), repeated two to three times with a one-month interval between doses.
- High-dose therapy is suitable for severe rickets with complications or children unable to take oral medication. Calcium supplementation is generally required.
- Dosage: 360,000 IU of vitamin D3 is administered intramuscularly every one to two weeks for two to three doses, with a total of 1.2–1.8 million IU.
- After the therapy, preventive oral doses of vitamin D should be administered two to three months later.
While undergoing vitamin D treatment, supplementary therapy with appropriate amounts of calcium, vitamins A, B, and C should be provided. If the condition does not improve after three months of treatment, underlying factors or causes should be investigated. Excessive use of vitamin D should be avoided to prevent toxicity.
3. Sequelae
No medication is required for sequelae. Physical exercises should be strengthened. For chest deformities, prone exercises with head elevation and chest expansion can be performed. For lower limb deformities, muscle massage can be applied.
Rickets