children s health issues
Growth Hormone Deficiency in Children
Introduction
Growth hormone deficiency occurs when the pituitary gland does not produce enough growth hormone. Growth hormone deficiency is the most common pituitary hormone deficiency and is accompanied by poor overall growth and short stature. Other symptoms of growth hormone deficiency depend on the child's age and the cause of the deficiency. Most often, doctors do not find a cause for growth hormone deficiency, but sometimes it is caused by a congenital disorder or brain tumor. The diagnosis is based on a physical examination, review of the child's growth charts, and testing that may include x-rays, blood tests, genetic tests, stimulation tests, and imaging tests. Treatment typically includes hormone replacement therapy. Hormones are chemical messengers that affect the activity of another part of the body. Growth hormone regulates growth and physical development and is produced by the Overview of the Pituitary Gland , which is located at the base of the brain. The pituitary, a pea-sized gland at the base of the brain, produces a number of hormones. Each of these hormones affects a specific part of the body (a target organ or tissue). Because the pituitary controls the function of most other endocrine glands, it is often called the master gland. Hormone Target Organ or Tissue Adrenocorticotropic hormone(ACTH) Adrenal glands Beta-melanocyte–stimulating hormone Skin Endorphins Brain and immune system Enkephalins Brain Follicle-stimulating hormone Ovaries or testes Growth hormone Muscles and bones Luteinizing hormone Ovaries or testes Oxytocin* Uterus and mammary glands Prolactin Mammary glands Thyroid-stimulating hormone Thyroid gland Vasopressin(antidiuretic hormone)* Kidneys * These hormones are produced in the hypothalamus but are stored in and released from the pituitary. If the pituitary gland does not produce enough growth hormone, abnormally slow growth and short stature can result. Children who are deficient in growth hormone can also be deficient in other pituitary hormones such as thyroid-stimulating hormone, adrenocorticotropic hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone (this disorder is called Hypopituitarism ). is defined as height below the 3rd percentile for the child’s age (according to standard Length and Height for age and height). In addition to a deficiency of growth hormone, short stature can occur for other reasons. For example, most children and adolescents who have short stature are short because their families are short, or because their growth spurt came at the late end of the normal range of time for such development. Some children are short because of poor weight gain and poor nutrition or because they have certain chronic illnesses that affect the thyroid, heart, lungs, kidneys, or intestines. Other children have genetic disorders that affect bone growth, such as A deficiency in growth hormone production most often has an unknown cause, but about 25% of cases have an identifiable cause, including Congenital disorders Brain tumors or injuries Radiation Infections (such as meningitis and tuberculosis) 