If excessive growth in a child is accompanied by rapid fatigue, impaired sexual development, frequent diseases, then parents should seek qualified help. In the absence of such symptoms, in most cases, there is no need to worry about the rapid growth of children.
Constitutional acceleration of children's growth
Today, children often have a constitutional acceleration of growth, except for genetically high people. In such children the pubertal period comes early, the growth and maturation of bones is accelerated. Constitutionally high people are proportionally proportionate, they do not suffer from increased intracranial pressure.
Accelerated growth can lead to excess weight in prepubertal age, but this is a temporary phenomenon. In this case, children grow tall, but not giants.
Children's Gigantism
If a child has growth hormone with open areas in excess, then gigantism develops, and adults develop acromegaly, nevertheless, and with gigantism, the symptoms of acromegaly are possible, which after the closure of the epiphyses take on a more pronounced form.
Excessive production of growth hormone often causes the accelerated growth of the child, especially in processes that stimulate the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary part (transferred encephalitis, hydrocephalus). Gigantism in this case develops regardless of age, but most often the growth acceleration is observed in children in preschool or school age. Such children are easily fatigued, their resistance to infections is lowered, the musculature is poorly developed, with careful examination you can see the acromegaloid traits, and the incongruity of the figure is observed.
Less common pituitary gigantism. The cause of development of pituitary gigantism is usually eosinophilic adenoma, less often with a tumor of the hypothalamus.
In some cases, acromegaly and gigantism begin as hypothalamic disorders leading to hyperplasia and hypertrophy, which can cause tumor-like growth of somatotropic cells. In a number of cases in the pubertal period it becomes evident that the child has accelerated growth, but sometimes it can be noticed at the age of five. As a result, growth can reach 250 or more centimeters.
Often unnaturally high growth is reached by children who have premature sexual development, but they do not become giants, due to the early closure of growth zones (after closure, growth stops).
Untreated tall patients with hypogonadism, thyrotoxicosis, as well as patients with arachnodactyly (Marfan syndrome) are characterized by clinical symptoms of these diseases, in such patients the level of normal growth hormone is normal.
The cause of the development of Clinfelter's syndrome is chromosomal aberration with the presence of an extra X chromosome. In tall boys with disproportionately long legs and hands in childhood, a fragile physique, and later develops obesity. The syndrome of Clainfelter has a distinctive feature - hypoplasia of the penis and testicles. Secondary sexual characteristics are unsatisfactory, in some cases gynecomastia is observed, hair is transmitted through the female image.
In such patients, there is a lag in mental development, this is explained by an extra X chromosome.
Sotos syndrome (cerebral gigantism), unlike pituitary gigantism, occurs more often, and is accompanied by rapid growth, but in the serum the level of somatotropin remains normal, and the data indicate that the cause of the pathology are brain disorders.
Throughout 4-5 years the child grows quickly, and then the child again grows normally. The pubertal period begins a little earlier or in usual terms. In such patients, there are large feet and brushes with a thick layer of subcutaneous fat. There is a mental lag in development. The head of the dolichocephalic form is large, the lower jaw protrudes forward, the walk is clumsy, the eyes are widely spaced, the patient is clumsy, coordination of movements is disrupted.