EXPERTS SAY: Children remain indoors and hardly receive the needful dose from the sun
A slew of factors is responsible for more and more children suffering from poor bone health these days, say doctors in Ahmedabad. A team of experts has said that lack of exposure to the sun, reduced play time (especially outdoors) and constant exposure to the AC are some of the reasons for the condition.
"Poor Vitamin D level in the body directly impacts the bone. The number of injuries being reported is also high," said Dr Kamlesh Devmurani, a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon practising in the city.
Dr Devmurani, whose patients are often in the age group of 1 to 18 years, said the primary cause for poor vitamin D level is a drop in time the children spend outdoors.
"These days, most of the children remain indoors. Overall, there is an increased rise of interest in outdoor games. But one also needs to see the time the children play outside," said Dr Devmurani.
He said often the mornings are good to get some sunlight and supply the body some on Vitamin D dosage. "These days you don't see children playing outside in the morning. They are in all cooped somewhere in classrooms," he said.
Unlike earlier times, these days even schools are air-conditioned.
"Few people realise the adverse effect of continuously living in the AC. It impacts the metabolism and absorption of vitamin D in the body," said Dr Devmurani.
He was speaking on the sidelines of an announcement of the 37the annual conference of Gujarat Orthopaedic Association. The conference will see over 800 delegates from across the country and the globe.
Dr Navin Thakkar, an orthopaedic trauma surgeon, however, said the 'rise' in vitamin D deficiency could also be because of increased awareness.
"It is right that our exposure to the sun is not as much as it should be. Earlier, vitamin D tests were very expensive than today. So not many people went for it," said Dr Thakkar. The spread of insurance coverage that allowed people to go for health check-ups also mean more people get themselves checked regularly compared to earlier times.
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