Listen to “IS MY CHILD’S GROWTH ON TRACK? What Parents Should Know September 14-20: Children’s Growth Awareness Week” on Spreaker.
Growth isn’t just about height—it’s a vital sign of a child’s overall health. Tracking physical growth is a crucial step towards monitoring your child’s health and an important factor in diagnosing pediatric growth hormone deficiency or PGHD.
PGHD is characterized by insufficient production of growth hormone (GH) by the pituitary gland, which is a small gland located at the base of the brain. It is estimated that 1 in 4,000-10,000 children globally have PGHD.
Here are 7 things children with PGHD may experience:
Short stature
Delayed puberty
Bone development challenges
Decreasing muscle mass and weakness
Emotional challenges
Low blood sugar
Reduced strength and endurance
Left untreated, PGHD can limit a child’s potential, physically, emotionally, and socially.
PGHD doesn’t just affect children—parents and caregivers of children with PGHD may feel discouraged and overwhelmed during this journey. Their concerns and fears about how this condition will impact their child can leave them feeling unheard.
It’s critical for parents to consult a healthcare professional as soon as they begin to notice delays in their child’s growth. Early diagnosis of PGHD and treatment are time-sensitive, especially because a child’s growth plates will eventually fuse, limiting their ability to achieve their full height potential. Delaying treatment can negatively impact final adult height and potentially affect other aspects of development.
For decades, the only treatment option available was daily injections of human growth hormone (somatropin). Long-acting growth hormone treatments have been developed that are given just once a week.
Healthcare professionals can work with parents to determine if treatment is needed and help ease concerns such as:
Noticing growth concerns and seeking guidance
Feeling anxious about timely diagnosis before growth plates fuse
Uncertainty about options to treat PGHD
Navigating the responsibilities of PGHD management
On Wednesday, September 17, Dr. Nidhi Gupta, pediatric endocrinologist, and founder and CEO of KAP Pediatric Endocrinology, is available to share her insights on what all parents need to know about PGHD. She will also discuss its signs and symptoms, and how treatment can help.
Interview courtesy: Ascendis Pharma
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