Metabolic Bone Disease if a term that refers to multiple bone disorders and abnormalities. In the majority of cases these disorders are associated with a lack of minerals need for the body to grow and develop properly. Some of these core minerals are calcium magnesium, vitamin D, and phosphorus.
Finding out that you have a newborn who has a metabolic bone disease can be stressful for parents to cope with. Parents usually have a lot of questions concerning why this happened to their child and what can be done about it. This response is normal and scientific progress has been made to help better explain and treat this disorder.
In newborns doctors have use several tools to help them diagnosis this condition in newborns.
First they analyze the infant’s urine for the presence of phosphorous and calcium for early signs. They then can use radiographic densitometry to examine the mineral content of the bones. Low levels of key minerals are a sign of possible bone disease.
Unfortunately, there are not many symptoms associated with this condition in newborns. Most preterm infants are tested for this condition due to the fact that their early birth places them at higher risk of having bone abnormalities.
With most infants the condition can be treated or prevented by proper nutrition. Nutritional sources such as breast milk (from a mother with a healthy diet), and formulas enriched with vitamin D supplements are key in reversing the effects of this condition. In more severe cases the deficient minerals may have to be administered to the infant intravenously.
The prognosis of an infant diagnosed with metabolic bone disease is overall positive. If caught early enough, and proper treatment applied many babies will recover in live healthy, happy, normal lives. It has been shown that premature babies with metabolic bone disease are more likely to develop osteoporosis in their later adulthood.
As the parent of a newborn it is normal to worry about every aspect of your child’s life and development. Staying on top of routine doctor visits and being aware of any changes you notice in your child’s overall development can help to catch problems before they begin or treat them before they become worse.
Source: Metabolic Bone Disease in preterm newborn