Hormone problems in children: questions from parents
Summary
This is a 2017 live session in which Dr. Om answers parents’ questions about hormone problems in children. Some details, such as screening programmes, have developed since then, but the core advice holds.
He starts with the growth chart. Children often cannot tell you they are unwell, but a chronic health or hormone problem usually shows up as poor growth in height or unusual weight gain. Every visit to the paediatrician should include measuring height and weight and plotting them on the chart.
Other topics include:
- Newborn thyroid screening. He advises that every baby should have the heel-prick thyroid test in the first days of life, whatever the family history, because an undetected thyroid problem can affect brain development and is easy to treat.
- Type 1 diabetes, which needs insulin, and childhood obesity, which is rising.
- Puberty timing. Puberty that starts very early can lead to a shorter final height because the bones stop growing sooner. In boys, puberty that has not started by about 14 should be checked.
- Periods in girls. Irregular periods are common in the first year or two after periods start, and PCOS should not be diagnosed too early. Periods that start very early, or have not started by about 15, need a check.
Read more on whether your child is too short and early or late puberty.