Phosphorus is one of the micronutrients needed to maintain healthy bones and teeth, especially in infants and children who are in their infancy. In the body, phosphorus is digested and transformed into phosphate. Unfortunately, even though it is good for bone health, most phosphorus or phosphate is not good for your child. Instead of making your baby healthy, this can actually cause health problems called hyperphosphatemia, a condition when the body is over phosphorus. Although rare, this disease still needs to be watched by parents. Get to know the ins and outs of hyperphosphatemia in babies through the following review.
The cause of the baby is excess phosphorus
It's not impossible for babies to experience hyperphosphatemia. Hyperphosphatemia is a condition when too much phosphate in the blood is caused by too much phosphorus intake or other health conditions.
The most common cause is kidney disease but this condition can also be caused by several factors, including:
- Low parathyroid hormone levels (hypoparathyroid)
- High vitamin D levels
- Diabetic ketoacidosis
- Serious infection in the body
The cause of excess phosphorus in infants is more due to unbalanced phosphate levels in the body. Newborns generally experience impaired mineral balance in the body, both calcium or phosphorus. The kidneys naturally work by controlling phosphate levels. But if the kidneys do not work properly, excessive phosphate cannot be removed so hyperphosphatemia can occur.
Intake of high phosphate foods, such as cow's milk, in relatively large quantities can cause an increase in serum phosphate levels in the baby's body. This increase in serum phosphate actually makes calcium levels in bones and other tissues decrease. As a result, the body is exposed to hypoalkemia, one of the most common advanced diseases after hyperphosphatemia.
When is the baby said to be hyperphosphatemia?
Normal levels of phosphorus for normal adults are 2.5-4.5 mg / dL. Phosphorus levels in infants and children tend to be higher, which is 50 percent extra for babies and 30 percent extra for children. This is due to the growth of the bones of babies and children being active.
Infants, children, and adolescents are said to be hyperphosphatemia if the phosphorus level reaches more than 7 mg / dL.
Symptoms and effects of excess phosphorus in infants
When phosphate levels in the baby's body increase, this substance will bind calcium in the blood, causing hypocalcemia, which is a decrease in calcium levels in the body. Excess phosphate will also inhibit the process of digestion of vitamin D and calcium absorption in bone. In the end, this condition will make the bones crack and break easily.
In adults who experience hyperphosphatemia usually feel symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, fatigue, and sleep disorders. While in infants who have excess phosphorus, the sign is more similar to the symptoms of hypocalcaemia, namely seizures in a short time and without loss of consciousness.
What should be done if the baby has excess phosphorus?
For long-term hyperphosphatemia conditions, the treatment to be carried out depends on the cause itself. The treatment of baby seizures due to excess phosphorus is the infusion of 10 percent calcium gluconate solution (2 mL / kg), of course, can only be done by doctors and medical teams. In most babies, the balance of calcium and phosphate will return to normal within 1 to 2 weeks after treatment.
Breastfed babies rarely experience hyperphosphatemia, because breast milk contains low levels of phosphorus. Therefore, fulfill the nutritional needs of your baby with exclusive breastfeeding instead of giving it to formula milk containing more phosphate.