Calcium deficiency in a child's body can cause a lot of troubles - from rickets and neurological disorders to dysfunction of the thyroid gland, heart function, musculoskeletal system and the development of the bone skeleton.
What is meant by a shortage, as well as how to correctly give a child this substance necessary for normal growth and development, says the famous children's doctor Yevgeny Komarovsky.
About the problem
Calcium deficiency occurs for two reasons: either it is not enough in food, or it is poorly absorbed in the intestines and is not absorbed to the required extent. The general belief that a child needs milk and dairy products to get calcium is wrong, says Yevgeny Komarovsky. Therefore, there is no need, by hook or by crook, to feed milk to children who, for example, do not digest it well. The required substance is found in sufficient quantities in nuts, fresh herbs, sea fish, many vegetables and even fruits.
The release of Dr. Komarovsky's program on calcium can be viewed in the next issue.
If the child's food contains enough minerals and trace elements, and there is still a deficiency, the reason may be hypovitaminosis D. Sometimes, with a lack of calcium, it is possible to establish a direct link between this deficiency and thyroid disorders.
With a shortage, the child is prescribed special medications - calcium preparations. Usually doctors recommend taking them in certain dosages for children with very specific problems:
- Rickets.
- Pathologies associated with thyroid function.
- Allergies (both acute and chronic).
- Diseases of the hematopoietic system, in particular, coagulation disorders.
- Diseases of the skin (eczema, dermatitis).
- With hypocalcemia during the growth of teeth, bones (with a very rapid growth rate).
For home use, drugs are used in tablets. Sometimes doctors inject Ca salts intravenously, but this refers to an emergency ambulance, which is necessary for severe bleeding, convulsions, acute and severe allergic reactions to anything.
The truth and myths about calcium can be seen in the following video.
Calcium deficiency can be established by a comprehensive study of the child's blood. It is reasonable to take pharmaceutical Ca preparations only when doctors, on the basis of tests, establish a diagnosis of hypocalcemia. In all other cases, it is not worth taking medications, feeding the child in a balanced and correct manner, including in his diet foods with a high content of this vital substance (the list of products is given below).
Calcium preparations
Calcium gluconate
Calcium gluconate is the most famous drug, which is available in tablets and in the form of a solution for intravenous injection. Ca gluconate tablets are available on the shelves of pharmacies in two dosages - 250 and 500 mg. In order for children to take pills more willingly, they are produced not only in "pure" form, but also with various fruit additives.
Sometimes especially thoughtful parents read in the instructions for the drug "approved for subcutaneous administration." Doing this is strictly prohibited, the instruction describes the option of providing urgent assistance to adults, but not to children.
Overall, calcium gluconate is the most commonly prescribed drug for children.
Calcium chloride
Calcium chloride is a solution for injections of various concentrations (10% and 2.5%). It is used intravenously. For home use, pharmacists produce a special dosage form that is most suitable for children - a drinking solution at a concentration of 5% with the addition of delicious fruit juice. Ca chloride should be injected only by a medical professional, since correct ingestion is important here, because this chemical compound causes severe irritation of local tissues.
Komarovsky does not recommend giving the drug in the form of drops for drinking, since this remedy often causes severe irritation of the delicate children's stomach. This only applies to the medication. Now on sale there are baby products with this substance, and their use does not cause any irritation. For example, you can buy cottage cheese with calcium chloride, but the content of the substance we need in it does not even come close to the daily norm.
Calcium lactate
Calcium lactate is a tablet formulation. Available in a single dosage of 500 mg. There is much more calcium in the preparation than in gluconate, and therefore it is quite convenient to take it (fewer tablets will be eaten in the end).
There are other drugs:
- Calcium carbonate,
- Calcium phosphate,
- Calcium Acetate,
- Calcium Citrate
- Calcium glycerophosphate.
However, these drugs have not become widespread, since they do not have any advantages over gluconate and lactate, which were discussed in detail above.
Daily age norms
The daily requirement for calcium for a child who is not yet 1 year old is 250-270 mg. Babies from 1 to 3 years old need twice as much a day - about 500 mg. For the normal development of a child aged 4 to 8 years, at least 800 mg of the substance is required per day. Children over 8 years old - from 1000 to 1300 mg per day.
How to use
The doctor prescribes calcium supplements for the little patient, the parents buy them at the pharmacy, and then there are continuous questions. Judge for yourself - in order to "supply" an adult with a dose of calcium gluconate, 15 g of the drug is required (this dosage is often prescribed for nursing mothers). To take this dose, a poor nursing mother needs to drink 30 tablets in a dosage of 500 or 60 tablets in a dosage of 250. Even a hardy adult cannot eat such a number of tablets at a time. The same problems arise with children's use of the drug. It is not clear what prevents pharmacists from developing dosages above 500 mg, but the reality is that.
According to the norms mentioned above, a child under one year old should be given 3 tablets, a baby from 1 to 4 years old - 6 tablets, a child under 8 years old - from 6 to 12 tablets, and an older child - more than 22 pieces. Agree, the task is not easy. Therefore, Komarovsky advises to divide the daily dose into 2-3 doses (it will be easier for the baby to master the minimum, and it will be easier for parents to feed him this minimum). Side effects, according to the doctor, usually do not occur when taking gluconate.
Product sheet
- Nuts;
- Milk;
- Fresh greens;
- A fish;
- Sesame seeds;
- Beans;
- Dried apricots;
- Fig;
- Raisins;
- Grain bread;
- Veal;
- Chicken eggs.
