An explanation for one of the effects of rickets (rachitis) is a swollen stomach

All kinds of medical encyclopedias and reference books list all the troubles from rickets, a derivative of childhood illness and, at the same time, “vitamin” (Hypo-Hypervitaminous) diseases such as scurvy or Beriberi, which was once common in Southeast Asia.

In particular, among other things, the baby’s swollen abdomen is indicated, due to the weakness of the peritoneal muscle wall..

That is, vitamin D deficiency causes this muscle weakness.

I, on the other hand, from my more than modest experience of dealing with infants (children of friends and acquaintances), came to a completely different conclusion, that is, I got into pediatrics, more precisely into the physiology of infants, unexpectedly for myself and without having the slightest intention to do so.

First of all, there was no muscle weakness. The baby twitches its legs and at the same time its abdominal wall tightens and “hardens”. Coughs, screams – all this causes a reflex contraction of the muscles of the anterior abdominal wall and they strain perfectly and properly.

So it’s NOT about their weakness!

And in what way?

My hypothesis explains this phenomenon in a different way than the clever and omniscient encyclopedias.

Spasms of the lower part of the small intestine, near the exit point of the small intestine into the large intestine (usually pendulum-type peristalsis) cause a problem with the movement of food by unidirectional peristalsis from above, from the duodenum, downwards. There is a kind of “collision” of two types of natural peristalsis: Unidirectional and pendulum.

THIS VIOLATION of their normal “harmony and cooperation” is precisely caused by a lack of vitamin D in the body!

So, spasms (not static, but dynamic, say partial, but permanent) obstruct the normal movement of digested food
(resistance to the movement of intestinal contents is growing, and since it is ridiculous to call it “hydrodynamic” and even more so “aerodynamic” in existing terms, we had to come up with a new term suitable by it’s physical parameters for dredging shells – “PULPODYNAMIC”) and thereby cause an increase in intestinal pressure in the small intestine, which is naturally perceived by interoreceptors (baroreceptors) in the intestinal walls.

As is known, most hollow organs of the body are NOT STRETCHED passively, like a rubber chamber, by the substance entering there, but actively RELAX “on the orders of the baroreceptors” in their walls. This is how the stomach and intestines work.

As a result of the frequent and constant increase in intestinal pressure caused by spasms of the lower part of the small intestine, the entire part of the overlying small intestine gradually relaxes (the tone of smooth muscles in their walls decreases). and the intestines STAY relaxed ALL THE TIME pretty quickly.

But this, regardless of the filling and emptying of the small intestine, leads to a significant INCREASE in ITS VOLUME. And the volume of the abdominal cavity, of course, is LIMITED by nature! There is no room, and therefore the increased volume of the small intestine causes the bulge of the anterior abdominal wall, as the intestines are the most easily susceptible to pressure.

But the muscular strength of the walls remains the same and manifests itself at the right moments. It’s just that her muscle tonicity is normally in a state of relaxation, because nothing requires a strong contraction of the peritoneal muscles.

By the way, some of the former «rickets babies” became good gymnasts and famously did a “Corner” on the even bars, which THEY WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ABLE to DO with the congenital weakness of the peritoneal muscles!

The same can be said about fat people.

Not only is the fat in the abdominal wall, but the small intestine, swollen by chronic overeating, presses on the front wall, and the stomach begins to bulge!

These are my humble thoughts about infantile rickets and generally bulging stomach.

Faciant meliora potentes.

If I’m wrong, let my seniors correct me.

27 IX 2025