Common Causes & Treatment for growth disorders by Dr Kalyan - Endocrinologist

Growth Disorders

Common Causes of short stature

Constitutional growth delay: This condition portrays kids who are little for their ages but their growth rate is typical ( aging, etc). They for the most part have a deferred "bone age," which implies that their skeletal development is more youthful than their age in years.

These kids don't have any signs or symptoms that influence development. They will, in general, arrive at adolescence later than their companions do, with a delay at the beginning of sexual improvement and the pubertal development spurt. But since they keep on developing until a more seasoned age.

Nutritional deficiencies: Children with nutritional deficiencies tend to have a delayed growth compared to their peers. This is generally manifested as the height and weight being lower than the lowest centiles on the growth charts. 

Familial (or genetic) short stature: This is a condition wherein shorter parents will, in general, have shorter kids. This term applies to short kids who don't have any side effects of illnesses that influence their development. Children with familial short stature despite everything have development spurts and enter adolescence at ordinary ages, yet they, as a rule, will just arrive at tallness like that of their parents.

Endocrine diseases : They include a lack or overabundance of hormones and can be liable for development disappointment during youth and youthfulness. Growth hormone insufficiency is generally due to a defective pituitary gland  may not deliver enough hormones for ordinary development. Hypothyroidism is a condition where the thyroid organ fails  to make enough thyroid hormone, which is fundamental for typical bone development.

Turner syndrome: This is one of the most widely recognized hereditary development issues, happens in young girls and is a disorder where there's an absent or irregular X chromosome. Notwithstanding short stature, young ladies with Turner disorder ordinarily don't experience ordinary sexual advancement on the grounds that their ovaries neglect to develop and work regularly.

Management of Growth disorders

Most children have short stature because of one/both parents being short. This is best left alone as these children already have abundant growth hormone in their system. Children who have nutritional deficiency or  underlying chronic illness will have catch up growth, once the underlying ailment  is treated. It is imperative to check thyroid status in all children who are failing to achieve their target height. Thyroid disorders are a common reason for stunted growth and can easily be treatable. True Growth hormone deficiency is very rare and will require multiple sequential endocrine testing to confirm or exclude. MRI of the brain may also be essential.