What are growth disorders ?
Growth disorders prevent children from reaching normal weight, height or sexual maturity. MaineHealth providers treat a wide range of growth disorders such as:
- Precocious puberty
- Delayed onset of puberty
- Chronic kidney disease
- Growth hormone deficiency (the pituitary gland doesn’t make enough growth hormone)
- Hypoparathyroidism (unbalanced levels of calcium and phosphorous)
- Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid)
What are the symptoms of a growth disorder?
The most common symptom is that the child is noticeably shorter than other children of the same age. Other symptoms may include:
- Delayed puberty, or not going through puberty at all
- Chubbiness of the face and stomach
- Face looks younger than other children of the same age
- Slow tooth development
- Slow hair growth
- Failure to thrive (not gaining weight as expected)
- Child grows less than 2 inches a year once reaching the age of 3
How are growth disorders diagnosed?
Your child's doctor can help diagnose growth disorders. Tests may include:
- Assessing your child's health and growth over a period of time
- Blood tests
- Pituitary gland scans
- X-rays
It’s important for growth problems to be diagnosed early, since the earlier the diagnosis, the more effective treatment may be.
How are growth disorders treated?
Depending on the diagnosis, treatment for growth problems may include:
- Growth hormone therapy
- Creating a dietary plan to change nutrition and eating habits
- Medications and vitamins
