Doctor talks diagnosing Pediatric Growth Hormone Deficiency in children
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.
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.
“In some situations, we don’t know what causes growth hormone deficiency. It’s rare, and it can still affect about 1 in every 4,000, to 1 in every 10,000 children worldwide,” said Nidhi Gupta, pediatric endocrinologist and founder of KAP.
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.
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