Short statures are very unappealing to many people. And people with short height get very conscious and their self-esteem and confidence are lowered. Apart from what the person or the people around him/her feel there are other concerns of having a short stature. There are various disorders of having a short stature and they are grouped under one term known as disorders of short stature.
Disorders of Short Stature
- Growth disorders: Children fail to grow due to many reasons that might be genetic, constitutional and also might be due to hormonal problems. Sometimes these are noticed right from birth while others are noticed after a while when the child is schooling and is the shortest in his or her class. Also growing less than 2 inches per annum could be an indicator of a growth disorder.
- Human Growth Hormone Deficiency: The occurrence of retarded growth is very much noticeable. This might be due to the genetic makeup of such individuals. Other factors simultaneously occurring are a low blood sugar or obesity. These kids have an average intelligence and body proportions
- Cushing?s syndrome: A rare disease that causes no height gain but there is an increase in weight and there are raised levels of cortisol which can be determined by a blood test. Other symptoms co-occurring are easy bruising of the skin, wasting of muscles and weakness.
- Hypothyroidism: A condition that usually screened for at birth can occur in later stages of life comprising of growth retardation, puffy face and fatigue. There are many other symptoms such as weight gain, constipation, coarsely dry hair and so on.
- Short Stature due to Nutritional Deficiencies: Due to lack of protein in the diet children cannot grow adequately. There is muscle or bone tissue wasting and the child is usually very fragile and feeble. Children require a nutritious diet in order to get back to normal.
- IUGR (Intrauterine Growth Restriction): While the fetus is in the mother?s womb many factors influence its growth. IUGR is the retardation of growth of the fetus. Some reasons for these are raised maternal blood pressure, gestational diabetes, smoking, drug abuse or drinking alcohol, malnutrition and kidney or lung disease.
- Russell Silver Syndrome: This is a condition of retardation of growth of the fetus. After the baby is born asymmetry of the length of the lower extremity is noticed. Other features are a small face, large head, mouth turned downwards, little fingers curved inwards, Kidney problems and possibly low blood sugar levels are noticed.
- Dwarfism: Also known as the Disproportionate Short Stature occurs due to the hindered growth of the bone and cartilage. HGH is normal.
- Achondroplasia: This form also is able to be recognized by an ultrasound in the 24th week of gestation. A large head, a low nasal bridge, short limbs and short fingers are features of this condition.
- Chondrodystrophy: Here there is an abnormal formation of the bone tissue leading to a skeletal dysplasia. The body proportions are abnormal but the intelligence is normal.
What can be down about a Short Stature?
- When children are young provide them with good nourished food rich in protein and energy. Daily consumption of milk will help in gaining the right amount of calcium required for the growth of the child.
- Doing some stretching exercises right from childhood or playing games helps improving height.
- Yoga also is said to help in weight gain.
- If the cause is hormonal deficiency then medical help needs to be taken.
Treatment for Disorders of Short Stature
Depending on the cause the treatment is given. In cases of deficient growth hormone, a recombinant HGH therapy is given. For hypothyroidism, a thyroid hormone replacement therapy is given. Genetic makeup cannot be changed hence all genetic conditions are irreversible and they cannot be treated.
Homoeopathy can help in height gain when the cause is a nutritional deficiency. The Homoeopathic product Doliosis D75 Dwarfodol helps in checking the nutritional imbalance causing hindrance for height gain. The contents of this medicine are known to improve nutritional deficiencies and stimulate the normal bone growth. It is easy to take this product and it does not have any side effects. It can be consumed with other medication, for all age groups.