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8 Year Old Often Complains Of Leg Ache When Sick. Something To Worry About ?
Question: My daughter (8) often complains of leg ache when she is sick. Today she has a sore throat, no fever but complains her legs ache. Is this something to worry about? She is a bad eater so I was wondering if it could be related to anaemia which is aggravated when she is under the weather.
This has happened a few times when she has been sick with similar or flu-like symptoms. The first time it happened was a few years ago when she had suspected H1N1 (false alarm) and she could hardly walk for nearly a whole day.
She also complains of giddiness which is something her father & grandmother have but have never been given a solution for.
She is of average weight and height.
This has happened a few times when she has been sick with similar or flu-like symptoms. The first time it happened was a few years ago when she had suspected H1N1 (false alarm) and she could hardly walk for nearly a whole day.
She also complains of giddiness which is something her father & grandmother have but have never been given a solution for.
She is of average weight and height.
Hello ,
Thanks for posting your query.
There are various causes for leg pains in child , from minor growing pains, nutritional deficiencies i.e anemia, calcium deficiency etc to more severe causes like electrolyte imbalances, rhabdomyolysis(muscle inflammation), arthritis or synovitis.
Considering the details you have provided the most probable causes in your daughter could be 1.anemia, since she has dizziness, poor eating, leg pains all of which can be due to inadequate oxygen carrying caused by anemia.if so a course of hematinics and multivitamins for 3_6mths might show improvement in her symptoms.
or
2.electrolyte imbalances.Many times children develop muscle cramps only during illnesses as they get dehydrated and imbalance of electrolytes in body which are necessary for optimal functioning of muscles.such conditions improve drastically with intravenous fluid therapy or increasing their hydration with oral hydration solution during illnesses.
If her problem persists or you notice very frequent muscle pains and weakness then its best to get her thoroughly evaluated and investigated (blood tests like complete blood counts, serum calcium, electrolytes, cpk mb or muscle enzymes, crp etc) to rule out muscle disorders or arthritis.
Hope I have answered your query.
Regards
Thanks for posting your query.
There are various causes for leg pains in child , from minor growing pains, nutritional deficiencies i.e anemia, calcium deficiency etc to more severe causes like electrolyte imbalances, rhabdomyolysis(muscle inflammation), arthritis or synovitis.
Considering the details you have provided the most probable causes in your daughter could be 1.anemia, since she has dizziness, poor eating, leg pains all of which can be due to inadequate oxygen carrying caused by anemia.if so a course of hematinics and multivitamins for 3_6mths might show improvement in her symptoms.
or
2.electrolyte imbalances.Many times children develop muscle cramps only during illnesses as they get dehydrated and imbalance of electrolytes in body which are necessary for optimal functioning of muscles.such conditions improve drastically with intravenous fluid therapy or increasing their hydration with oral hydration solution during illnesses.
If her problem persists or you notice very frequent muscle pains and weakness then its best to get her thoroughly evaluated and investigated (blood tests like complete blood counts, serum calcium, electrolytes, cpk mb or muscle enzymes, crp etc) to rule out muscle disorders or arthritis.
Hope I have answered your query.
Regards
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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