With little to no outdoor activities depriving their exposure to sunlight, deficiency of Vitamin D has become rampant among children leading to musculoskeletal disorders.
While Vitamin D level in excess of 50 nanograms per millilitre (ng/ml) is considered sufficient, between 30 and 50ng/ml is insufficient and below 30ng/ml is considered low. Locked up inside their homes for more than a year, it is found plummeting to alarming level of 10ng/ml or below in children.
“While the deficiency is age-neutral, it's particularly worse in children causing muscle and joint pain and brittleness of bones. Exposure to sunlight for about 30 minutes a day is the simplest solution,” said Manoj G. Panicker, head of the general medicine department at Ernakulam General Hospital.
Since the deficiency of Vitamin D is devoid of tell-tale symptoms and is unreflected in vital parameters, it often goes undetected or is diagnosed quite accidentally while consulting doctor for completely unrelated problems.
K.G. Saju, consultant ENT Surgeon at General Hospital, recollected how two young children whom he prescribed for Vitamin deficiency test on a hunch returned an alarmingly low level of below 10ng/ml.
Vitamin deficiency apart, there is an overall downturn in the physical well being of children owing to the extended indoor life. For instance, the frequent use of earphones during online classes is taking its toll on the children's hearing.
“High frequency hearing loss caused by physiological aging of ears usually associated with those aged 70 or above is now setting in at a disturbingly young age. The reason being that earphones expose ears to only a particular frequency of sound while cancelling out the rest unlike in normal life when the cochlear is exposed to a mix of sounds. The real impact on hearing will be felt another five or six years,” said Dr. Saju. The use of unfit earphones could lead to the inflammation of the external auditory canal, a very painful phenomenon.
Excessive stress to eyes is also being widely reported owing to constant glaring at screens. “Focusing on screens reduce the blinking rate of eyes from the normal 14-18 per minute causing computer vision syndrome. Not maintaining the ideal distance of 30-33cm from the screen is also leading to headache, eye pain, eyes turning frequently watery and even blurring. Use of eye drops for moistening and lubrication of eyes and voluntary blinking of eyes is advisable,” said N.S.D. Raju, a senior ophthalmologist.
Dr. Panicker said that children are also increasingly being diagnosed with high blood sugar level could trigger off Maturity Onset Diabetes in Young due to insulin resistance in sedentary life. “In teenage girls, physical inactivity could lead to menstrual irregularities and Poly Cystic Ovian Syndrome. Hypertension, high cholesterol, gastritis and obesity are also being found among children owing to the Indiscriminate consumption of junk and fried food items,” he said.
V. Sudarshana Manoj, a counselling psychologist, said that the sedentary lifestyle cause dropping serotonin levels leading to mood swings that find reflection in aggression directed often towards siblings. “Parents buying children junk food to keep them calm only adds to the problem thanks to the chemicals and trans fats they contain. Also, controlled outdoor life is far more ideal than locking up children all the time for fear of contracting the pandemic,” she said.