KARACHI, July 14: osteomalacia among children known as rickets is more likely to occur if they consume diet which does not include milk or other animal foods, a primary source of calcium and vitamin D.

According to Dr Fauzia Hayat, working for an international health organization, an effective campaign for awareness about children health care needs to be launched to ensure control of osteomalacia which is fast spreading in low-income families.

“Majority of the country’s children have no access to nutritional diets, which results in deformed bone structure and in view of the gravity of the situation it is crucial that a long-term awareness campaign needs to be undertaken,” she said.

She attributed lack of calcium as a major cause of osteomalacia among children in the country. However, she said, it had to be supplemented by vitamin D.

Dr Hayat warned that large doses of vitamin D might result in increased level of calcium absorption from intestinal tract and increase calcium absorption from the bones leading to elevated levels of calcium in the blood, consequently leading to abnormal calcium deposition in soft tissues such as heart and lungs, reducing in the process their ability to function.

She said that the symptoms of osteomalacia among children included delayed sitting, crawling and walking, pain during walking, besides bowing of legs and stunted height.

“If the child faces problems in digesting milk, the family doctor must advise the patient taking vitamin D supplement to ensure that no calcium deficient occurs,” she said.

Mona Yasin, an Egypt-born nutritionist working as consultant in Pakistan, said the country needed an emergency plan to bring its health status to an acceptable level.

“Based on estimates, 2200 calories are required per day for the growth of adults but in the developing countries like Pakistan, this requirement is hardly fulfilled given the endemic chain of poverty that affects the purchasing power of the common man”, she said.

She said poor nutrition in our diet weakened the immunity system of the body and allowed viral and bacterial germs to attack the human body, also affecting their natural strength and size.

“According to a recent survey more than 50 % of the country’s population is stinted ( below average height)”, she added.

Dr Shaukat Jawaid, working for a public health hospital, said human beings required regular intakes of carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins and proteins for natural growth and those could be achieved by eating pulses, grain and vegetables. “If any of these ingredients are missing, the diet cannot be considered balanced and complete”, he said.—PPI