Psychogenic dwarfism
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Psychogenic dwarfism, Psychosocial dwarfism or Stress dwarfism is a growth disorder that is observed between the ages of 2 and 15, caused by extreme emotional deprivation or stress. The symptoms include decreased growth hormone (GH) secretion, very short stature, weight that is inappropriate for the height, and immature skeletal age. This disease is a progressive one, and as long as the child is left in the stressing environment, his or her cognitive and linear abilities continue to degenerate. It is often seen in feral children and in children kept in abusive, confined conditions for extended lengths of time. It can cause the body to completely stop growing but is generally considered to be temporary; regular growth will resume when the source of stress is removed.
Children with psychogenic dwarfism have extremely low levels of growth hormone. These children possibly have a problem with growth hormone inhibiting hormone (GHIH) or growth-hormone releasing hormone (GHRH). The children could either be unresponsive to these hormones or too sensitive.
Children that have psychogenic dwarfism exhibit signs of failure to thrive. Even though they appear to be receiving adequate enough nutrition to grow properly, they do not grow and develop normally like other children of their age do.
Extreme stress causes such a disease as psychogenic dwarfism, because the body is under constant stress. Stress causes the body to act in an immediate mode of fight or flight and releases hormones to aid in this process, such as epinephrine and norepinephrine. This in turn speeds up heart rate, to help escape the stress faster. While all of this is happening, the body shuts of process that are not necessarily important at the time, and in the case of psychogenic dwarfism, it is production of growth hormone (GH). This extreme amount of stress causes children with psychogenic dwarfism not only lack growth hormone, but the large amounts of epinephrine and norepinephrine cause the children to exhibit gastrointestinal problems, which in turn, does not allow them to properly take in the nutriets their bodies need to digest food and help them grow.
[edit] External links
- Psychosocial dwarfism from FeralChildren.com
- I Won't Grow Up: The Causes of Psychogenic Dwarfism by Karen Munoz
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parathyroid Hypoparathyroidism (Pseudohypoparathyroidism) - Hyperparathyroidism (Primary hyperparathyroidism, Secondary hyperparathyroidism, Tertiary hyperparathyroidism)
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