In
monitoring and prediction of children's growth, the spurt in puberty is often
considered too variable to be predictable. Puberty begins when the body starts
producing extra amounts of hormones which leads to physical and emotional
changes.
Changes
include breast development, pubic hair growth, a growth spurt, and finally the
start of menstrual periods in girls.
Types of Puberty Problems in Pediatrics :
- Delayed puberty means puberty hasn’t started by the age of 13
- Precocious puberty include when puberty begins too early i. e. before age 7 or 8 in girls
- Contra sexual pubertal development which means development of male characteristics in females
- Premature thelarche suggests breast development without any other signs of puberty
- Premature adrenarche include appearance of pubic hair without any other signs of puberty
Why it Happen ?
The
causes may include:
- Heredity
- Hormonal disorders (polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- Genetic disorders
- Problems in the pituitary or thyroid glands which produce the hormones for growth and development
- Chromosome disorders which affect normal growth processes
- Eating disorders
- Chemotherapy
- Other underlying medical condition or injury
New Knowledge :
New
findings and methods are now enabling to give a better picture of how children
and adolescents grow, especially during puberty.
Growth
reflects health and can be a diagnostic indicator which is capable of revealing
both diseases and psychosocial problems.
Body
Mass Index (BMI) in childhood can be linked to height gain. A high BMI early in
life was observed with a greater proportion of height gain before puberty. The
smallest pubertal spurt was in gathering of children with the highest BMI in
childhood. These findings help to make pubertal growth more clearly
predictable.
Treatment:
- Treatment depends on symptoms and the cause of the problems.
- Observation and regular check-ups
- Hormone therapy
- Surgery – for anatomical corrections
- Start counselling to help children and their families to deal with the emotional and social challenges
