Know the Type of Your Little One’s Growth Interruption

Maybe Mommy often gets a comment about the growth of the Little One. Not infrequently, people compare one child with another child. The Little One peer looks taller than he/she is. Is there something wrong? Could be yes, it could also not. Every child grows with different speed of each own. Some children may grow more slowly due to heredity factor, while others do have a real growth disorder.

One of the most frequent problems that Daddy and Mommy are worried about is a growth disorder. This can make the Little One does not achieve his/her height, weight, and sexual maturity normally. Some things that can affect the growth of the Little One, among others, are nutrition, genetics, and hormones. What are the disruptions that can arise during the growth period? Check out the following:

Failure to Grow

If the weight and height of the Little One continue to increase slower than his age, it is suspected that he/she experiences failure to grow. This condition generally occurs in toddlers. Failure to grow is often caused by poor nutrition or eating disorders. However, it can also be caused by infection and indigestion.

Genetic disorders

Many genetic conditions can be a cause of growth disorders, among others:

• Down syndrome. This condition is caused by an excess of chromosome 21. The Little One with this syndrome has distinctive facial features, including flat nose, protruding tongue, small ears, and narrow eyes with the inner corner of the eye forming a fold.
• Turner's syndrome. This condition occurs because the X chromosome is abnormal, therefore occurs in girls. In addition to short stature, girls who experience this syndrome usually experience delays in sexual development.
• Marfan's syndrome. This syndrome is a genetic disorder that makes a person look tall with long arms and legs. Heart and eye disorders are often the conditions that accompany this syndrome.
• Achondroplasia. Achondroplasia is a condition that most often causes failure to grow and short stature (dwarf). Achondroplasia is caused by genetic disorders of bone and connective tissue that occurs since in the womb. The Little One with acondroplasia has a disproportionate body shape; arms and legs look short despite normal body size, as well as a slightly big head with prominent forehead. The maximum height of a person experiencing this condition is only about 1.2 meters.

Hormone Disorders

Disorders of the thyroid hormone that causes hypothyroidism can cause growth disorders. In the condition of hypothyroidism, the thyroid gland fails to produce enough thyroid hormone for the body, so the growth of the Little One looks very slow.

Although the Little One will grow and develop at his/her own pace, it does not mean that Mommy does not need to observe it. If Mommy feels worried about the growth and development of the Little One, discuss it with a pediatrician to get a solution soon. Early management will make the growth disorder of the Little One can be overcome well.