Growth Hormones: The long and short of it

KOCHI: Though endocrinal problems including diabetes, thyroid and precocious puberty  are reported in large numbers, the awareness on hormonal problems itself is largely missing in the country, Dr Zeev Hochberg from Israel said.The Paedoiendocrinologist and his colleague Dr Jean Claude from Paris were in the city on sidelines of  a conference of Endocrinologists held at Calicut.Speaking about various issues related to hormonal activity among children, the doctors stressed on the importance of tracking slow growth patterns and short stature of children.“A short stature can often be the result of flaws in the hormonal activity of a child. Short stature of children is a cause of concern for parents everywhere. But all short people do not have hormonal problems. What is short also varies from country to country and from region to region. It also depends on the diet. People from more economically better off countries generally have taller people. Often the issue might not be shortness itself but growth pattern. Regular measurement of height , weight and a child's growth pattern will help in tracking down and in the treatment of several malfunctions.”, he said.Dr Zeev Hochberg specialises in growth disorder and bone diseases in children.The doctors also threw light on the affect of diet on hormonal activity including the onset of puberty."In India, puberty sets in at an average age of 12.5 years in girls from well-off families while it is 15 in the case of those from the economically weaker sections. This is a pretty big difference for sections of people from the same region," the doctors said.Malnutrition leading to poor growth is still a major problem in India, he added.