Underactive thyroid gland impact children’s growth: Physicians

KABUL (Pajhwok): Physicians have believed that hypothyroidism could cause shortness of height, mental degradation and several other problems in children.

They said the thyroid gland is one of the most important glands in the human body which played an essential role in metabolism through the production and regulation of hormones.

Wali Mohammad Aryan, a doctor at the French Medical Institute for Mothers and Children (FMIC), told Pajhwok Afghan News that the thyroid gland was one of the important glands in the human body that regulated the production of hormones that are important for the functioning of the human body.

For instance, Aryan said the hormones that played a role in the growth of the brain, heart and intestines performance and the growth of bones were regulated by the thyroid gland.

Due to some reasons, the function of the thyroid gland decreases but on some other occasions, it becomes overactive which causes different health problems. This could problems could happen to both minors and adults, he added.

Dr. Aryan said the issue of hypothyroidism also happened to newly born babies who have different reasons and it could lead to dangerous consequences such as underactive mental growth and shortness of height.

Hypothyroidism happens in some children at the time of birth but some of the children contracted this illness during their puberty time or maybe after their puberty, Dr. Aryan added.

He explained the inability of babies to suck milk from the nipple properly, swelling in the stomach, persistent jaundice are the first symptoms of this disease in infants, and constipation, dry skin, muscle weakness, lack of hair growth, and tooth growth are other symptoms of this disease in children.

One of the important methods of hypothyroidism diagnosis is to examine the amount of hormones in the blood, which can be conducted through blood examination at labs.

Dr. Aryan said: “Measuring the amount of thyroid hormones in the blood is one of the most important ways to diagnose hypothyroidism and added that these hormones can be detected by performing a blood test.”

The problem of hypothyroidism is treated with some soluble medicines in water or milk and such a patient must visit a physician regularly for examination until his/her thyroid gland functions properly.

Some children with this problem are cured by taking medicine until three years of age, but in some cases, they can take medicine for the rest of their lives.

However this is a rare illness of children but it is very important to be diagnosed and cured, he added.

Aryan recommended the parents of those children who suffer from hypothyroidism, that should immediately taken to the hospital for examinations because the consequences of this disease are very dangerous and they must be prevented.

Nargis, a resident of Qasaba area of Kabul city is the mother of a 16-year-old daughter who suffered from hypothyroidism illness, she said that her daughter complained of headaches.

When she was taken to the doctor she had a headache but some others told her that she suffered from pain in her intestines but finally, she was diagnosed with hypothyroidism at FMIC.”

Nargis’s daughter went under medical treatment at FMIC for hypothyroidism and she was in better health condition now than before.

Aw/nh

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