Endocrinologist Barskaya: in children, hypothyroidism leads to constipation and swelling
Both the lack of iodine-containing thyroid hormones (hypothyroidism) and their excess (hyperthyroidism) negatively affect human health, leading to various pathological conditions, said a doctor at the endocrinology department of the Russian Children’s Clinical Hospital – a branch of the Russian National Research Medical University named after. N.I. Pirogova Ministry of Health of Russia Maria Barskaya. In a conversation with Lenta.ru, she listed the symptoms of thyroid disease in children.
Hypothyroidism, according to Barskaya, is divided into primary and secondary: primary hypothyroidism can be either acquired or congenital and develops due to pathology of the thyroid gland, secondary hypothyroidism occurs due to insufficient production of thyroid-stimulating hormone by the pituitary gland. Hyperthyroidism in 90 percent of cases in childhood occurs with diffuse toxic goiter, and can also be associated with autoimmune diseases, viral or bacterial infections, the doctor noted. Hypothyroidism in children leads to delayed mental and physical development, metabolic disorders and thermoregulation processes.
With hyperthyroidism against the background of excess thyroid hormones in children, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism is disrupted. Excess thyroid hormones have a toxic effect on the cardiovascular and nervous systems, on the gastrointestinal tract, and negatively affect the child’s psyche
In newborns, she continued, hypothyroidism is manifested by delayed psychomotor development, decreased muscle tone, edema, tissue pastiness, poor weight gain, and growth retardation. In older children, this condition leads to excess body weight, up to the development of obesity against a background of moderate nutrition, delayed growth and sexual development, muscle weakness, brittle nails, dryness and hair loss, lethargy, drowsiness, apathy, constipation, swelling of the face and limbs.
Signs of hyperthyroidism in children, according to Barskaya, are weight loss (often against the background of increased appetite), severe sweating, tachycardia and palpitations, mood swings, nervousness, tearfulness, internal anxiety, trembling of the hands and sometimes the whole body, general and muscle weakness , fatigue, increased eye size, increased shine.
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Barskaya warned: unfortunately, it is impossible to cure hypothyroidism forever – hormone replacement therapy is usually prescribed for life.
If treatment for congenital hypothyroidism is started on time, the prognosis is favorable: children grow and develop like their healthy peers. With timely initiation of treatment for hyperthyroidism, stable remission occurs in 70-75 percent of cases. The prognosis for this disease depends on the cause of the disease, the level of increase in thyroid hormones, the volume of the thyroid gland, and the presence of concomitant pathologies
Earlier, allergist-immunologist Tanya Elliott urged parents not to pierce their babies’ ears. Elliott called the popular procedure dangerous because ear piercing in infancy can cause a nickel allergy in the future or even lead to the development of an infection.
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