Dwarfism (Pituitary Dwarfism)

What it is? Pituitary dwarfism is a delay in growth and physical development caused by insufficient amounts of somatotropic hormone (growth hormone) in the body. This is an extremely rare disease: according to various sources, it occurs in 1-4 people out of 10,000. Moreover, boys are affected twice as often as girls. Height below 130 cm for men and below 120 cm for women is considered dwarf.

Why does this happen? The culprits of this disease are:

1. Hereditary predisposition;
2. Congenital defects (impaired formation of the pituitary gland in the prenatal period);
3. Head injuries, including during childbirth;
4. Tumors of the pituitary gland and surrounding nervous tissue;
5. Diseases such as: tuberculosis, syphilis, sarcoidosis;
6. Received radiation or chemotherapy.

However, in more than 60% of cases, the cause of dwarfism remains unclear.

What's happening? At birth, the weight and height of patients with growth hormone deficiency do not differ from healthy children. As a rule, the first signs of the disease appear in children aged 2-3 years, when they begin to lag behind their peers in growth. The growth rate is sharply reduced and does not exceed 3-4 cm per year (normally 7-8 cm per year). Growth retardation is accompanied by normal body proportions of the child.

Also noted:

1. Slowing of ossification of the skeleton, disruption of the development and replacement of teeth;
2. Poor development of the muscular system;
3. Underdevelopment of the genital organs;
4. Tendency to arterial hypotension;
5. If there is a tumor of the pituitary gland or surrounding areas of the brain, along with the listed symptoms, visual impairment is observed.

Mental development is usually normal, and such patients have good memory.

Diagnostics
To confirm the disease you must:

1. Take blood and urine tests for growth hormone, etc. The choice of necessary tests will be determined by the doctor, who will also prescribe hormonal tests.

2. Perform an x-ray of the skull and the sella turcica area to determine the size of the pituitary gland.

Additionally, the following studies may be prescribed:

1. An MRI or CT scan of the brain is a painless procedure that can provide a detailed look at the pituitary gland and surrounding areas of the brain.
2. Consultation with an ophthalmologist.

Treatment
Treatment is prescribed by an endocrinologist. The main way to restore normal levels of growth hormone in the body is to constantly take this same growth hormone. To facilitate the dosage and administration of growth hormone, special injection syringe pens have recently been developed.

During treatment, the growth rate in patients increases to 8-12 cm per year compared to 3.5-4 cm, which is usually observed before treatment. During puberty, sex hormones are included in the treatment regimen.

In 10-20% of cases, growth hormone deficiency is accompanied by a deficiency of pituitary hormones that affect thyroid function. In such cases, thyroid hormones are included in the treatment regimen.

The effectiveness of treatment depends on the specific cause of the disease. In most cases, patients manage to achieve normal growth and adapt to the living conditions around them.