Breaking a sweat

Q: I've noticed that when I go in to check on my son after he's gone to sleep that his head and pillow are damp from sweat. Is this normal?

Dr. Wright: Head sweating is one of the symptoms of rickets, a severe vitamin D deficiency disease that usually occurs in childhood. But over 20 years ago, Dr. Joseph T. Hart discovered that it doesn't necessarily indicate full-blown rickets. He found that head sweating can also be a sign of a less-severe vitamin D deficiency.

Talk to your child's doctor to rule out any other possible causes. If everything checks out, you may want to consider starting him on a vitamin D supplement, or increasing the dosage of any vitamin D supplements he might already be taking. Dr. Hart found that a dose of 1,200 IU of vitamin D per day generally clears up any deficiency and the symptoms -- like head sweating -- that accompany it.

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