Growth Disorder

Depending upon the causes and health factors, there are various types of growth disorders. Some of them are as follows:

• Hypothyroidism – This growth disorder occurs when the normal amount of thyroid gland is not produced. This can lead to delayed puberty and slow growth. It is, however, a rare growth disorder in children.
• Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD) – In this, the body of a child is not producing enough growth hormone. Per year, about 1 in every 30,000 children is affected by it. Due to this, children don’t grow at a normal pace.
• Malnutrition and Malabsorption – When a child is not getting enough nutrients, it can affect their weight and growth. Further, if a child is suffering from Crohn’s disease it can affect whether they can properly absorb the nutrient or not.
• Chronic Kidney Disease – This disease can occur either due to physical or genetic factors. Children suffering from this disease have reduced the function of their kidneys. It can cause decreased intake of electrolytes, calories, and the production of growth hormones. All of this can lead to reduced growth in children.
• Turner Syndrome – It is one of the common types of growth disorder in girls and women. About 25-50 females out of 100,000 are affected by this. In this, the females reach adulthood at a height that is 20 cm less than the targeted one.
• Skeletal Dysplasia – It is a group of abnormalities that can affect babies from birth affecting bone growth. It can occur in 1 out of 5000 babies.
• Silver Russell Syndrome – Also known as SRS or RSS is a rare kind of genetic growth disorder. In this, the growth of the children is affected, along with the distinct facial features.
• Prader-Willi Syndrome – It is a rare growth disorder that is genetic. The hypothalamus of the brain does not develop properly in this disease. It affects 1 out of 20,000 children. In this, apart from growth, the behavioral, social skill, and facial features of the children are affected.
• Noonan Syndrome – It is a genetic disorder that can affect both girls and boys. Apart from a growth factor, it can affect the body of children in many ways such as skeletal changes, facial features, and even cardiac abnormalities.
• Small for Gestational Age – In this, the baby reaches their normal height and weight by 2 years of age.
• Idiopathic Short Stature (ISS) – ISS covers various health conditions. It is normally known to arise suddenly and its exact cause is unknown. It is difficult to diagnose this disease.
• Familial Short Stature – In this, the height of the children is normally affected due to their parents, and their growth is affected and falls at the lower extreme of the growth chart.
• Constitutional Growth Delay – In this growth disorder, the growth of the children is normal but they are small for their age. The skeletal maturation of these children is younger than their age. Their puberty may delay but they can catch up with their peers when they reach adult height.