Growth Retardation

Growth Retardation – General Information

A proper growth pattern is highly important in the development of a person (from his or her infancy, through childhood and adolescence). If a patient presents an abnormal slowing down of his or her growth pattern, he or she should undergo an immediate medical check up as Growth Retardation is known to be caused by various types of medical conditions (some very severe). This is why it is very important for a parent to be familiar with the normal growth rate for a child; in this way, the parents will be able to notice any abnormality in their child’s growth rate and seek medical help if needed. However, there are some factors that need to be taken into consideration. For example, it is a known fact that the child’s size varies depending on heredity issues, as while small parents usually give birth to smaller children, large parents will probably have a tall child. Studies have shown that baby boys tend to develop faster than girls during the first 7 months of life. Between 7 months and 4 years, girls tend to grow faster than boys. After this, the growth for both sexes equalizes until the individual reaches puberty. It is known that a patient’s height widely depends on factors such as genetics, nutrition and, of course, hormone production. This is why a child that is of small height does not necessarily suffer from Growth Retardation that is caused by a severe medical condition. Physicians tend to rely more on the child’s weight than on his or her height if they want to get an idea about the general health condition of the respective individual. A parent ought to keep regular recordings of the child’s weight and gain, as these are if great importance for the pediatrician.

Growth Retardation – Symptoms

Growth Retardation – Treatment

Unfortunately, studies have shown that more than 40,000 babies that are born each year in the US do not weigh more than 2,500 grams. This aspect ought to be given much more attention, as IUGR (Intrauterine Growth Retardation) can have extremely severe consequences. The presence of this syndrome is known to be due to the improper conditions inside the mother’s uterus that do not allow the fetus to develop properly. The proper therapy method that should be administered to an individual who is suffering from poor growth levels is known to generally depend on the underlying disease that is thought to cause the Growth Retardation. For example, children who present malnutrition symptoms will be prescribed high calorie supplements (the most severe clinical cases have to remain hospitalized until their condition becomes stabile). Other clinical cases, in which the poor growth is due to a hormonal imbalance, are prescribed a treatment trial with hormonal pills or hormonal shots. The therapy for this medical condition is more effective if it is given in time (as soon as the parents notice that something is wrong). When a child presents Growth Retardation, the physician has to use various medical techniques that should determine the reason for this clinical condition. The health care provider will ask the parents a set of questions that are known to generally help provide a faster and more accurate diagnosis. For example, the physician will want to know the exact age of the child, the moment when the parents noticed the growth impairment symptoms, if the child was bottle fed or breast fed, what are the individual’s feeding patterns, and so on.

One of the most severe forms of Growth Retardation is the intrauterine form of this medical condition. When a pregnant female patient finds out that she is carrying a growth-retarded fetus, she must start taking into consideration several factors. In some cases, the mother has to be hospitalized in order to benefit from complete rest. She should start keeping daily records of the fetus’ movements. The main aim of the therapy that is prescribed to such patients aims to reverse the factors that have lead to the condition of the fetus (the most common of them are drug use, smoking, intake of alcoholic beverages, poor nutrition, and so on). A patient that is carrying a fetus that presents Growth Retardation ought to undergo more ultrasound exams in order to check the volume of the amniotic fluid and the development of the fetus. In some cases, another clinical test known as amniocentesis might have to be performed in order to see whether the fetus presents any infection symptoms, chromosome abnormalities, and so on. However, if the female receives a proper therapy, her child will catch up with the regular counterparts in less than 2 years. Unless severe complications were experienced, the baby will probably present normal physical and intellectual development.