What are the symptoms of severe calcium deficiency in infants?

When an infant shows severe calcium deficiency, parents and friends must of course pay attention to timely discovery and help them solve the problem. For example, if a child has bald spots on the back of his head, loose muscles and tendons, and delayed closure of the anterior fontanelle, these may be caused by calcium deficiency.

1. Baldness circle on the pillow

Babies who are calcium deficient are prone to sweating, and usually the hair on the back of their head is worn away, forming baldness on the back of their head. Baldness on the occipital area may partially reflect calcium deficiency, but it is not an absolute condition.

2. Delayed closure of the anterior fontanelle

The anterior fontanelle usually closes at the age of 1 to 1.5 years. Babies with calcium deficiency often still do not close after 1 and a half years old, resulting in a square head.

3. Growth retardation, late learning to walk, bone and joint deformities

Most children who are calcium deficient learn to walk at around one year old, or they may have "X" shaped legs or "O" shaped legs due to soft bones, loose and weak muscles, and leg bone pain.

4. Muscle and tendon relaxation

If calcium deficiency is severe, the abdominal wall muscles will lead to relaxation of the intestinal wall muscles, which may cause gas accumulation in the intestinal cavity and form a swollen abdomen like a frog's belly. If the tendons of the spine are loose, hunchback, pigeon chest, and sternum pain may occur.

5. Beaded rib cartilage hyperplasia

When newborns lack calcium, the cartilage of each rib proliferates and connects like beads, often compressing the lungs, making it difficult for the newborns to breathe and making them prone to bronchitis and pneumonia.