Symptoms of Stunted Growth in Children
1) A persistent difficulty in walking
2) Failure to maintain a normal growth rate.
3) Hypotonia (low muscle tone).
4) Short stature (intended for age).
5) Delayed bone age.
6) Low body mass index.
7) Prognathism (excessive projection of the mandible).
8) Puffy cheeks.
9) High arched palate.
10) Delayed speech development in children under age 5 years old.
11) Microcephaly (small head size for age).
12) Lowered skin elasticity in children under 2 years of age.
13) low muscle tone in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
14) Residual low muscle tone in patients with Becker muscular dystrophy.
Signs of stunted growth:
1. Short Stature:
2. Low Weight (3rd percentile)
the infant should weigh more than 13 pounds. Premature birth, low prenatal nutrition, serious disease, and congenital syndrome can lead to the infant weighing less than 5 pounds at full-term birth. (less than 1 year old). If your child weighs less than 3 pounds or is less than 20 inches tall(less than 2years old), he/she is considered underweight for his age.
When you compare your child’s weight to that of siblings or friends, take into consideration their age and gender – boys tend to be heavier at all ages than girls because they mature faster. If you are concerned about your child’s growth pattern, it may be helpful to plot it on a growth chart.
3. Stunted/delayed mental development:
Stunted child refers to the child with a low height for his age. It means he is not growing in proportion. Delayed child refers to the child who grows up slower than normal children of his or her age group, that is he is having slow mental development.
symptoms of growth disorders:
(1) Stunted Growth
(2) Delayed growth
Stunted and delayed growth can result from malnutrition (lack of adequate food and/or vitamins), poor prenatal care, chronic illness, untreated congenital disorders (an inherited disease that is present at birth), lack of physical activity.
It is also due to diseases such as cystic fibrosis or muscular dystrophy. The causes for stunting and delayed growth may be the same as those causing short stature and slow weight gain respectively.
Some common causes are listed below:
(1) G6PD deficiency:
It’s a red blood cell enzyme deficiency also known as anemia due to glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. It’s a disorder of red blood cells that causes hemolytic anemia, a condition in which red blood cells break down prematurely. It is the most common inherited enzyme defect in the U.S., affecting about one person in 10,000 to 20,000.
(2) Cystic fibrosis:
It’s a hereditary disease caused by a defective gene and characterized by chronic lung disease and digestive abnormalities. In children, it results from not enough or too much salt (sodium chloride) in the body fluids. This condition also affects glands that produce sweat.
(3) Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency:
Pyruvate kinase deficiency is an inherited disorder that prevents your body from breaking down sugars properly.
(4) Growth Hormone Deficiency:
Growth hormone is made by the pituitary gland. It helps your body grow and develop at a normal rate. If you have a growth hormone deficiency, it means that your body doesn’t make enough of this substance.
(5) Bone Dysplasias:
It’s a group of conditions involving abnormal bone development. There are more than 200 types of bone dysplasias caused by both hereditary and non-hereditary factors. They can affect the shape, size, and strength of bones.
How to reverse stunted growth:
(1) Strenuous physical exercise.
(2) Balanced nutritious diet.
(3) Intake of vitamins & minerals supplements.
(4) Undergoing surgeries/treatment for some specific ailments.
(1) Strenuous physical exercise:
Strenuous physical activity is one of the best ways to overcome inhibited growth, no matter whether it is due to malnutrition or chronic illness. Children must be encouraged and supported in their efforts to achieve their personal best performance in every aspect of their lives, primarily through normal childhood activities such as walking, running, jumping, etc., although organized sports are also helpful if they are not too competitive.
(2) Balanced Nutritional Diet:
A well-balanced nutritional diet provides all essential nutrients that are required by the body to grow properly. A balanced diet should include fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes (beans), nuts and seeds, lean meats, or fish. It must also contain adequate amounts of calcium for good bone development.
Some dairy products may be included in the daily diet plan since children need the calcium they provide for the proper growth of bones and teeth. Remember that milk is not recommended as a major part of an infant’s or child’s diet if he/she is under five years old because his/her digestive system might not be able to digest it effectively yet.
(3) Intake of Vitamins & Mineral Supplements:
Iron deficiency causes anemia which prevents sufficient oxygen from getting into your bloodstream. This can cause your body to feel tired and weak, which will then prevent you from engaging in physical activities. Zinc deficiency can also cause anemia.
If you have a zinc deficiency, you may get many small cuts that don’t heal well and get infections more easily. In addition, a vitamin B12 deficiency causes low red blood cell levels (anemia). A diet lacking this important nutrient could lead to delayed growth and development.
(4) Undertaken Surgeries/Treatments for Some Specific Ailments:
Some surgical procedures may be necessary during the early years of life if the child is suffering from some chronic disease or has been born with one of the abovementioned defects that affect bone development or growth.
Health-related problems are very common these days. Due to the unhealthy eating habits of people, lack of exercise, many diseases have spread all around the world. Among them, stunted growth is also one of the common problems for which proper treatment must be given as soon as possible.
Many children face this problem unaccounted and it affects their health badly making them weak. Stunt in height may cause problems in the future too due to improper height. So if you are also suffering from this problem then don’t worry here are some tips for you by which your height will increase naturally with exercise and a balanced diet.
Make sure that you follow these tips properly if your body is not growing at its normal rate it means puberty has not yet started or it has stopped at some age so now you should consult with your doctor and get your height on track. These tips will not only help you in increasing your height but also help you to remain healthy for a long time.
stunted growth causes:
Children need nutritious food in enough quantity to grow well. If they are not given a proper diet then their growth gets affected due to malnutrition. Malnutrition is the most common cause of stunted growth in children which leads to poor health and even death if not treated within time.
Here are some ways by which you can increase your height:
1.) Eat Health Food:
Healthy food stimulates the growth of your body. Never eat junk or fast foods because these kinds of foods have a negative effect on your body making it weak and thin affecting your height too. Your diet should consist of fresh fruits, yogurt, milk, chapatti with vegetables, etc. so that a healthy lifestyle can be developed which guarantees proper height development too.
2.) Exercises:
Exercise stimulates the growth of body muscles and bones. Include exercises in your daily routine so that you can increase your height naturally. Running, swimming, stretches, etc are all beneficial for increasing the height of a person if they are done regularly.
3.) Yoga:
Yoga is said to be one of the oldest ways which actually increases height without affecting any other part of your body giving you good health too. If yoga is practiced on a regular basis then it has no negative effect on your height at all making it perfect for increasing the height of children naturally. So try these three ways which will help you to increase your height fast and easily with exercise, balanced diet yoga within very short time periods.
4.) Sleep Well:
You may be wondering what effect does lack of sleep can have on height? Well, it has an adverse effect on your body making you weak and thin due to the secretion of harmful substances in the body. Therefore make sure that you get enough sleep which will help not only increase your height naturally but also give you good health.
5.) Others:
There are some other ways too by which you can increase your height naturally without any side effects. These include proper workout routines, massaging with specific oils, etc. but these methods are somehow difficult to follow for children so yoga is considered best by most people for increasing their height fast.