Consider whether to use growth hormone in young children?

Lack of height growth hormone in young children can be caused by many factors, thus preventing the baby from achieving the same level of development as friends of the same age.

When diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency, a series of questions will inevitably come to mind, such as: Is this condition dangerous? How will it affect my intelligence? In the following article, aFamilyToday Health will help you answer the above problems.

What is lack of height growth hormone?

Lack of height growth hormone is a complex problem that can manifest itself in different forms depending on the person.

Height growth hormone is a protein produced by the pituitary gland, located near the base of the brain and attached to the hypothalamus (the part of the brain that helps regulate the pituitary). If the pituitary or hypothalamus is deformed or damaged, the pituitary gland will not be able to produce growth hormone. When the pituitary gland lacks too much of the hormone, this condition is called pituitary failure .

What is a normal growth rate?

Growth rate will depend on the child's individuality. But in terms of height, average growth is described as:

0 - 12 months: Children increase about 24.5 cm / year

1 - 2 years: Children increase about 12.7 cm / year

2 - 3 years: Children increase about 8.9 cm / year

Age 3 to puberty: Children increase about 5.8 - 6.32cm / year

If your child is shorter than the height above, this could be a sign that he has a height growth hormone deficiency.

Complications of lack of growth hormone

Some studies show complications due to growth hormone deficiency, including:

Decreased bone density

Increased risk of cardiovascular disease

Reduced energy levels

Causes children to grow in poor height

Congenital height growth hormone deficiency can occur if there are genetic mutations due to factors important in pituitary growth or abnormal growth receptors. Up to now, the causes of most of the above cases have not been clearly classified. In addition, the reasons why children have poor height growth can also be:

Brain tumor is in the hypothalamus or pituitary gland

Head injury

Radiation therapy for cancer, if the area to be treated includes the hypothalamus and pituitary

Diseases that penetrate the hypothalamus or affect pituitary disease, such as Langerhans histiocytosis

An autoimmune condition (inflammation of the lymph glands)

One of the issues parents should keep in mind is that height growth hormone deficiency plays only a small part of the conditions that can affect your child's growth. Your baby is small and is likely to be caused by other conditions, such as malnutrition , digestive disorders, diseases that increase metabolic needs or hypothyroidism.

Signs that children lack height growth hormone

Since growth takes place over many years and children grow at different rates, growth hormone deficiency symptoms can be difficult to identify. In addition to being significantly shorter, your baby also has the following signs:

Appearance too immature compared to peers

Chubby body

Forehead raised

Underdeveloped nasal bridge

Deficiency of height growth hormone does not affect children's intelligence. These symptoms may mimic other illnesses. Therefore, you should take your baby to see a doctor for the most thorough physical examination.

Lack of height growth hormone can be cured?

The answer is yes. Treatment for height growth hormone deficiency will involve giving your baby hormone injections every day. Treatment usually lasts several years, although results are usually noticeable after 3-4 months of starting growth hormone injections.

The sooner you heal, the better your baby has a chance of reaching adult heights like a normal person or close to standard figures. However, not all children respond well to therapy with height enhancement pills.

In addition to medication, you can give your child foods that naturally increase height or give them 4 exercises to help them have the ideal height .

Is higher really good?

Studies have found that being tall has certain social advantages. Tall men and women have higher wages. Height also becomes a priority factor for men and women when choosing a mate. Also interesting is that many people seem to prefer tall leaders over small or modest stature.

With all of these advantages, you might think that babies whose height loses their height will feel sad and isolated. But studies have shown that, not all cases are. Specifically, doctors also give the idea that children with a shorter height than their friends can still get along with babies who develop normally.

Pediatric endocrinologist David Allen at the Medical University of Wisconsin, USA, said most children of short height can still study and function normally and not have psychological disabilities. However, many parents are more concerned about this issue than their children themselves.

He also shared that some patients expressed anxiety because their height did not grow too much despite reaching adulthood. However, prescribing hormone drugs for treatment is not too difficult.

Some frequently asked questions when treating growth hormone deficiency

Is growth hormone deficiency treatment safe?

Despite many potential side effects, especially if height growth pills are used to treat babies without a true hormone deficiency, researchers generally agree that this method is quite safe and effective.

Can growth hormone deficiency affect your baby's intelligence?

The deficiency of height growth hormone does not affect the intelligence of children.

Although the lack of height growth hormone is not necessarily a serious problem, children still need to be given adequate attention. If your baby is left deficient in this growth hormone for too long, your baby will not be able to achieve the necessary growth and react poorly to therapy.