Signs Your Child Has Hormone Deficiency

These days, there is numerous sickness that is present in this world that could affect anyone - may it be a child or an adult. This is why medical institutions are continuously doing research, medicines, and therapies that could help people that suffer different kinds of sickness, ailments, and medical conditions like bioidentical hormone replacement therapies for men.

However, some medical conditions can be seen right after a child is born - like Growth Hormone Deficiency. But what is Growth Hormone Deficiency and what should you know about this?

What is Growth Hormone Deficiency?

Growth Hormone Deficiency, or most commonly known as GHD, is a medical condition wherein an individual does not have enough growth hormone. As a result, people who have this kind of condition does not grow on a normal height.

Moreover, Growth Hormone Deficiency can be present during birth or may develop as the individual grows older. One of the main causes of this medical condition includes genetics, infections, trauma, radiation therapy, or tumors. In some cases, acquiring growth hormone deficiency may be associated with the lack of pituitary hormones, which in turn, can be classified as combined pituitary hormone deficiency.

What are the signs and symptoms of Growth Hormone Deficiency?

One of the most noticeable signs that an individual has a growth hormone deficiency is a short height. In addition, other obvious signs may be low blood sugar and a small penis for newborns. On the other hand, decreased muscle mass, high cholesterol levels, and poor bone density are some of the signs of this with adults.

If you want to know if your child is suffering from growth hormone deficiency, then you won’t be having a hard time detecting its signs and symptoms. One of the most common symptoms that your child has this condition is that he/she is significantly shorter compared to children in his/her age. However, remember that your child still has a normal body proportion even though he/she is in this state.

There are other signs and symptoms that your child have this medical condition, which is as follows:

• Your child looks younger than other children in her age bracket
• Delayed puberty, or no puberty at all
• Excess fat around the face and the stomach area
• Chubbiness
• Sluggish tooth development
• Slow-moving hair growth

On the other hand, symptoms of growth hormone deficiency is different for adults. Here are the signs and symptoms that you should look out for if an adult has growth hormone deficiency:

• Anxiety and depression
• Baldness, most especially in men
• Reduced sexual function and interest
• Less muscle mass and decreased strength
• Lack of concentration and memory
• Dry and thin skin
• Fatigue and tiredness
• Has heart problems
• High levels of LDL (bad cholesterol)
• Reduced bone density
• Sensitive to heat and cold
• Low energy levels
• Weight gain

Growth Hormone Deficiency Treatments

If an individual is confirmed to have growth hormone deficiency - whether it may be a child or an adult - one of the most common treatments that should be done is through Growth Hormone Therapy.

How does it work?

Growth Hormone Therapy simply means that they should undergo injections of growth hormones into their body. This growth hormone is widely known as somatotropin. By injecting somatotropin into the body, it immensely stimulates growth and cell reproduction in the body.

However, keep in mind that this can only be injected to a person with a doctor’s permit. For this reason, it is very important that an individual should first consult a doctor that specializes in this kind of medical condition to know if the patient is a candidate to this specific treatment.

Key Takeaway

Having growth hormone deficiency is indeed a serious thing that should be looked after for. Once you have detected and confirmed that a person - whether it may be a child or an adult - has this medical condition, this should be properly taken care of and treated with the right therapy that will help them with the current state they are in.

Source of Featured Image: Pixabay.com