What are the symptoms of zinc deficiency in children?

Parents are very concerned about their children's growth. During the growth process, they will add a lot of nutritious food and health supplements such as zinc and calcium. Many parents regularly supplement their children, while some parents supplement according to physical symptoms. At this time, parents need to know the symptoms of zinc-deficient children to know whether they are really zinc-deficient. So what are the symptoms of zinc-deficient children? The symptoms that will appear are:

1. Decreased digestive function is mainly manifested as loss of appetite. Zinc deficiency will affect the function of the tongue mucosa, thereby reducing taste sensitivity, making the baby prone to anorexia. Some babies may also develop pica, such as liking to eat dirt, coal slag, etc.

2. Babies who suffer from recurrent oral ulcers and zinc deficiency often develop ulcers in their mouths, or patches of lingual mucosal exfoliation appear on their tongue coating, which resembles a map and is called geographic tongue.

3. Growth and development slow down. Zinc is one of the essential trace elements for human metabolism. Once it is deficient, it will affect cell metabolism and hinder the function of the growth hormone axis. As a result, growth and development are affected, making the baby short.

4. Reduced immune function: Zinc deficiency will damage the immune function of cells and make the baby susceptible to infectious diseases, such as frequent upper respiratory tract infections or bronchopneumonia.

5. Zinc deficiency can cause obstacles in the synthesis of DNA and protein in brain cells, thus affecting the baby's intellectual development. 6. Laboratory tests show that the zinc level of babies who are zinc deficient is low, and the serum zinc level is often below 11.47umol/L.

An early symptom of zinc deficiency in children is decreased digestive function. If the mother finds that the baby does not like to eat for a long time, it is best to take the baby to the hospital for a check-up. A serum zinc test will be enough. A reminder to mothers: do not use hair zinc measurement as a basis for determining whether your baby is zinc deficient. Some mothers are reluctant to give their babies a needle to draw blood, so they use hair zinc measurement, but hair zinc cannot accurately reflect the status of zinc in the body. Because hair in different parts and different washing methods may affect the measurement results. In addition, in mild zinc deficiency, the zinc concentration in the hair may decrease, but in severe zinc deficiency, the zinc concentration in the hair will increase due to slow hair growth.

The food for your baby during zinc supplementation should be refined. Foods such as leeks, bamboo shoots, and oats are rich in crude fiber. The phytate content in bran and cereal germs is also high. These foods will affect the absorption of zinc in the intestines. At the same time, during zinc supplementation, you should also pay attention to calcium and iron supplementation. These three trace elements have a synergistic effect in the body and can promote the absorption and utilization of zinc.

What are the symptoms of zinc deficiency in children? The physical symptoms of children are very obvious. For example, children are picky eaters and do not like many foods. They wake up easily at night and like to sweat. These are the most basic symptoms of the disease. As the zinc deficiency increases, the physical symptoms will increase, which will threaten the development of intelligence, immunity and other functions. It is very detrimental to the growth of children. It is recommended that parents observe at different times to avoid the recurrence of zinc deficiency.