Endocrinology: Growth problems in children

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It is estimated that the prevalence of childhood growth hormone deficiency is within the range of 1.8 to 2.9 per 10,000 children in Europe and in the US.

To help you find the best help possible, Concilio’s medical team is by your side to help you find the solution to your endocrine problems.

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Diagnosis

A child can present delayed growth if certain precise measurements, such as height, weight, and proportions, are inferior to the average growth curvature. Children can also grow faster than normal. Causes of growth problems are determined with the help of X-ray imaging of the left hand and blood analysis.

Delayed growth can be caused by many factors, including:

  1. Digestive: Coeliac disease, Crohn’s disease, malabsorption, malnutrition

  2. Inflammatory: Juvenile Arthritis

  3. Endocrine: Hypothyroidism, hypercortisolism, hypopituitarism, resistance to Growth Hormone

  4. Renal: Chronic kidney failure, tubulopathy

  5. Hematological: Chronic anemia

  6. Metabolic: Rickets, hypophosphatemia

Treatment

Treatment depends on the cause of delayed stature growth. In some cases, treatment is not necessary because the potential for growth is satisfactory. In other cases, treatment is chosen based on the particular cause for the growth delay. For example, if malabsorption is found, treatment consists to remedy absorption in the intestine.

Signs of GH deficiency are: Presence of a micro penis (size inferior to a length of 3 cm), hypoglycemia (blood sugar inferior to 0.80 g/L), and a decrease of stature growth of the child before their 5th year.

It is possible to treat problems linked to weak production of GH. Daily hormone injections can be administered by a parent, who follows instructions given by an endocrinologist. To assure the efficacy of treatment, the patient is carefully monitored by his or her GP.

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Fiche Endocrinology: Growth problems in children

  • Author : Florian Reinaud, MD
  • Date :

754 peer-recommended endocrinologists have been identified by concilio

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