Growth Disorders
It is often said that maintaining a normal growth pattern is nature’s lab test for good health. Measuring the growth of height and weight is a very inexpensive service that should be offered by all health care providers to children. Growth is influenced by many factors such as heredity, genetic or congenital illness and medications, nutrition, hormones and psychosocial environment
Causes of Growth disorders:
Children generally reflect their parent’s growth patterns and height. Parents who were late bloomers and experienced slow growth and late pubertal development may see the same pattern in their children. The final height these children achieve is usually normal. Parents who have a short stature usually have children whose adult height potential is in the shorter range.
Congenital (those present at birth) causes for growth failure include intrauterine growth retardation, skeletal abnormalities and chromosome changes. Intrauterine growth retardation may result from maternal infections, smoking, or alcohol or drug use while pregnant.
Skeletal causes, such as short limbed dwarfism, result from abnormal production of new bone and cartilage. These children usually have unusual trunk or limb proportions. Chromosome variations causing short stature can include Turner syndrome in girls and Down’s syndrome in boys.
Nutritional problems can influence growth in two ways. More commonly, the problem is a poor diet with inadequate nutrients, not enough calories, or the wrong food habits. Secondly, diseases that interfere with the absorption of food from the bowel will prevent the body from using those nutrients for growth.
Thyroxin hormone which is secreted by the thyroid gland located in the neck poses a major influence on the growth and development of brain and bones. It continues to regulate metabolism throughout adult life. Symptoms of inadequate thyroxin can include dry skin and hair, constipation, loss of energy, or feeling cold in normal temperatures. If there is an inadequate amount of thyroxin made, it can be replaced by tablets prescribed by the doctor.
Cortisol, which is made by the adrenal glands located on top of each kidney, has effects on fat storage, glucose production and bone strength as well as aiding the body to handle the stress of illness or injury. Unlike thyroxin deficiency, it is excessive cortisol production which stunts growth. There are also other signs that indicate excessive cortisol such as muscle wasting and weakness, weight gain, easy bruising and thinning of the skin. Treatment depends on the cause of the problem.
Treatment:
Growth Hormone is made by the pituitary gland located in the middle of the head at the base of the brain. Growth hormone affects glucose and fat metabolism, the production of protein to sustain new cell development and, most importantly, it stimulates bone growth at the growth plates located at the ends of the bones. Children with growth hormone deficiency usually have a dramatic slowing of growth and may be overweight for their height. They may have younger looking faces than their actual age, but have normal body proportions. Diagnosis is made with blood tests and treatment is the replacement of growth hormone by growth hormone injections. Treatment continues until the bone growth plates fuse indicating that growth is completed. This treatment should never be taken without being under an expert’s guidance.
Technorati Tags: Health Audio TipsIf you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Listen to Acquatic Exercise Audio Health Tips
Body Mass Index and Health Audio Tips
Watch Video Health Tips