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Growth%20hormone%20deficiency%20(pediatric) Signs and Symptoms
Definition
- Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is a congenital or an acquired growth hormone (GH) axis disruption in the higher brain, hypothalamus or pituitary which results in short stature
- May occur at any age
Etiology
Congenital Conditions
- Defective pituitary development that leads to pituitary aplasia/hypoplasia
- Empty sella
- Encephalocele
- Midline defects
- Septo-optic dysplasia
- Panhypopituitarism
- Genetic abnormalities
Acquired Conditions
- Tumors of the hypothalamic-pituitary region
- Cranial irradiation
- Infiltrative diseases
- Trauma
- Hypoxic insult
- CNS infections
Signs and Symptoms
- Variable and depends on the age of onset
- Noticeable slow growth/short stature (standard height deviation score usually below -2) with normal body proportions
- Growth failure after a period of normal growth (child with GHD may grow normally until about 2-3 years old); then, signs of growth delay begin to show
- Hypoglycemia, prolonged jaundice or microphallus/micropenis (for males) in neonates
- Frontal bossing, midfacial hypoplasia (saddle-shaped nasal bridge)
- Delayed dentition
- Delayed puberty
- Fat dimpling and truncal adiposity
- Excessive thirst and urination, increased urine volume
- Symptoms of a mass lesion in the hypothalamic-pituitary region (eg headaches, visual disturbances)
