Patient's question:
Child's parietal bone is high, pigeon chest, has eaten, child doesn't like it! Feels it's not absorbed well. Is liquid calcium better absorbed? Which kind of liquid calcium is good? What kind of calcium is better to supplement? Which kind of fish oil is good? Is it better to drink pure milk or formula milk? Does pigeon chest affect the development of heart and lungs? Family has a history of tuberculosis, lumbar tuberculosis, what kind of check should the child do? Will it be inherited? Is it true that everyone has tuberculosis bacteria in their bodies?Doctor's answer:
1. Calcium supplementation must be combined with vitamin D. Properly supplementing vitamin D can promote the absorption of calcium. If vitamin D is lacking, calcium absorption is only 10%. Therefore, babies taking calcium supplements must be given vitamin D (such as cod liver oil, Eken, etc.). However, there are currently some calcium preparations, such as amino acid calcium, gluconate calcium, and calcium ascorbate, that can be actively absorbed by the body without the help of vitamin D.2. Do not take phosphorus-containing calcium supplements. Excessive intake of phosphorus will form insoluble calcium phosphate and be excreted from the body, inevitably leading to calcium loss. Due to issues with food and water sources, the phosphorus intake of Chinese people has already greatly exceeded the standard. Therefore, when selecting calcium supplements, mothers must carefully check the ingredients and never give phosphorus-containing calcium supplements to babies!
3. Magnesium affects calcium absorption. Excessive magnesium not only affects the absorption and utilization of calcium but also causes motor dysfunction. For infants and young children, the magnesium content in their bodies is sufficient through food intake and does not require additional supplementation. It is recommended not to blindly supplement with magnesium-containing calcium preparations.
4. Reduce salt intake in food, which is beneficial to calcium absorption. When sodium intake is high, the body will reduce calcium absorption. Therefore, children undergoing calcium supplementation should strictly control salt intake and can be fed 1-2 times a day with slightly salty food.
5. Phytic acid and oxalic acid in food affect calcium absorption. Foods such as spinach, bamboo shoots, amaranth, edamame, loofah, and onions contain excessive amounts of oxalic acid or phytic acid. Not only does the calcium in these foods itself not absorb easily, but it also affects the absorption of calcium supplements. Therefore, before cooking these vegetables, they can be blanched in boiling water to remove oxalic acid and phytic acid.
6. Calcium and dairy products should not be taken together. If calcium tablets are added to milk, milk and calcium are easily combined to form clumps, making it difficult for calcium to be absorbed and for milk to be digested. The correct method is to give calcium supplementation 1-2 hours after feeding, when most of the food in the stomach has been emptied.
7. Calcium supplements should not be taken with fatty foods. After fat is digested, the fatty acids formed combine with calcium to form curds, which are not easily absorbed by the intestines and are ultimately excreted in the stool.
For children over 2 years old, additional calcium supplementation is generally not necessary.
Medical Advice: Pigeon chest not only affects physical appearance but also, in severe cases, the inward of the ribs compresses the heart and lungs, which can affect circulatory and respiratory functions. Children may experience fatigue and recurrent respiratory infections. For pigeon-chested children under 3 years old, active anti-rickets treatment should be given, including calcium and vitamin D supplementation. For children over 3 years old, the condition is often a sequelae, and calcium and vitamin D treatment is ineffective. Generally, mild pigeon chest tends to gradually disappear with physical growth. Strengthening physical exercises, such as chest expansion exercises, push-ups, and head lifts, 2-3 times a day, can accelerate the correction of the deformity.
Generally, mild pigeon chest does not significantly affect the heart and lungs, and the current surgical outcomes for pigeon chest are unsatisfactory. Additionally, for boys during their growth period, strengthening chest muscle exercises to make them full and strong can improve the appearance of the pigeon chest. For girls after puberty, the development of mammary glands also compensates for the chest bone deformity in appearance. Therefore, surgical treatment is generally not recommended unless the deformity is severe.
Lifestyle Care: Tuberculosis is a chronic respiratory infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is not a hereditary disease. If multiple family members in a household suffer from pulmonary tuberculosis, it only indicates that the family members have poor physical health and have been infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the same environment, not due to heredity.