Less than 4 cm growth a year should be alerted to.
With the improvement of living standards, the average height of young people in China is gradually rising, and parents expect their children’s height to be “high”. However, childhood dwarfism has become another big enemy of children’s health after obesity and premature maturity.
Du Minlian pointed out that the well-known dwarf is a type of dwarfism. Generally speaking, if the height of a patient of the same race, sex and age is more than two standard deviations below the average height of the normal population or below the third percentile in a similar environment, he or she can be diagnosed with dwarfism.
In addition, the child’s height growth rate can also be used as a criterion. Infants and children under 3 years old with a growth rate less than 7 cm/year; 3 years old – before puberty, with a growth rate less than 3-5 cm/year; and puberty with a growth rate less than 5-6 cm/year are considered to have slow height growth.
Du Minlian said that parents should grasp the basic growth pattern of their children and record their height in detail every year. If they find that their children grow slower than their peers during the growth period, even less than 4 cm a year, they should be alerted and better take them to the regular hospital’s dwarf clinic for examination.
Fifty percent of dwarfism is caused by endocrine diseases.
So, what causes dwarfism? According to experts, the causes of dwarfism are mostly caused by diseases in addition to family genetics, and endocrine diseases that cause dwarfism account for more than 50% of clinical dwarfism patients.
According to the report, most of the children with growth hormone deficiency start to show slow growth after the age of 1. They tend to show proportional dwarfism and may be adults in their 20s, but they always have a baby face and even their voices are still childish, but their intelligence is the same as normal people.
The growth hormone deficiency also makes the affected child a step behind in all development, especially in the reproductive system. If these children are not treated with growth hormone, they will become what we call “little dwarfs”, usually only about 1.45 meters tall as adults for men and no more than 1.35 meters tall for women.
Sixty percent of children with dwarfism have psychological problems.
Children with dwarfism are often ridiculed and teased, making them introverted, self-absorbed and even depressed.
According to a new study on the impact of abnormal growth and development on children’s mental health, which was conducted by several hospitals in China, children with dwarfism have not only physical problems (failure to grow taller) but also psychological problems, and nearly 60% of children with dwarfism have different degrees of psychological problems, such as introversion, emotional instability and social withdrawal. The children with dwarfism have different degrees of psychological problems, such as introversion, emotional instability, social withdrawal, etc. “In my clinic, I heard many parents of children with dwarfism reflect that not only is their child’s seat in the class becoming more and more forward, but it seems that the relationship with teachers and classmates has also become rusty.” Du Minlian said.
3-16 years old is the “golden period” for treatment.
“Early detection of dwarfism is completely curable.” Experts point out that 3-16 years old is the “golden period” for children to grow in height, and it is also the best time to help people with dwarfism grow in height. As long as early detection and early treatment, the affected children can completely reach normal height.
Most people with dwarfism can grow taller with medication, but the key is to find out the cause of dwarfism and provide targeted treatment. For short stature caused by hypothyroidism, thyroxine can be used; for dwarfism, growth hormone should be supplemented for drug treatment; for short stature caused by Tuner syndrome, chronic renal failure and intrauterine growth retardation and other non-growth hormone deficiencies, treatment with growth hormone is very effective, and generally the height can be increased by 2-3 cm in the first year of treatment, and individuals can gain more than 15 cm.
In addition, some non-pharmaceutical treatment methods are also more effective.
1. Reasonable diet.
Eat more protein-containing foods, such as eggs, fish, soy products and dairy products; in addition, eat more calcium-containing foods also help to grow taller.
2, appropriate amount of exercise.
Exercise can not only promote the secretion of growth hormone, at the same time, the body can also enhance appetite after sufficient exercise, which can help children to increase their height. Exercises that help to grow taller include jogging, jumping rope, dancing, playing basketball, volleyball and swimming. Try to avoid weightlifting and other sports that will hinder the longitudinal growth of bones.
3. Parental care.
The development of the body is influenced by the social environment and family environment, especially for children of low age, the influence of the family environment is especially obvious, and the short stature of children caused by the lack of proper care is generally called “psychological dwarfism”. Therefore, parents must create a healthy and caring growth environment for their children.
How to detect “childhood dwarfism” early?
As a child grows up, his or her height is hidden and once you notice that your child is a head shorter than others, it is very late.
The following methods can help parents detect abnormalities in their children’s height early.
1. Standard data method.
According to the height regulations for each age group in medical textbooks, the child’s height is measured and then compared with the standard data to see if it is within the normal range and to monitor whether the child’s height growth is normal at each age.
2. Peer comparison method.
Comparing with children of the same age and gender, if the child is significantly shorter than other children in a period, it indicates that the child’s developmental condition is abnormal. This method is especially important for parents who have fewer children. For example, if you have not seen your child for a period of time and suddenly see your child and find no change in height, you should immediately pay attention to your child’s development.
3. Bone age test method.
Bone age is the basis for accurately determining the development of a child’s height. In a normal child, the development of bone age and age are synchronized. However, in children with dwarfism, the bone age develops earlier or later than the age. Therefore, a bone age test is the safest and most reliable way to monitor your child.