With children, rickets is the most common manifestation and consequence of vitamin D deficiency, while with adults, the disease is known as osteomalacia. In the absence of vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus cannot be properly absorbed in the body which hinders skeletal growth. New-born babies and infants up to two years of age require constant administration of vitamin D under pediatric observation to insure that they develop correctly.
Vitamin D is also produced and temporarily stored by the body following sun exposure. Yet, with the over-emphasized need to protect ourselves from sun radiation, we have come to increase the phenomenon of vitamin D deficiency due to insufficiency. Vitamin D deficiency is treated with supplements and a diet rich in fatty fish. The right dosage to be administered is prescribed by the doctor depending on the patient's age and the health condition. Children and senior citizens pose the highest risks to develop vitamin D deficiency.
The accelerated growth rate, dental eruption and skeletal development go hand in hand with vitamin D deficiency in children. Mothers should be careful to take their kids to periodical medical checkups and make sure that they have a balanced nutrition and healthy open air activities. As for the elderly, the body's capacity to produce and store vitamin D declines with advancing age. This is why an average older person requires a higher dietary intake of vitamin D. And here we also have half an explanation for the incidence rate of osteoporosis with middle-aged and elderly women.
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