When children do not grow at their natural pace

(Baothanhhoa.vn) - The body develops faster than the mind, children are at risk of both physical and mental damage. That is the consequence of early puberty - a phenomenon that is on the rise. This situation has been and is posing a demand for attention, care and education of children from families, schools and society.

Doctor of Endocrinology - Allergy - Musculoskeletal Department ( Thanh Hoa Children's Hospital) examines a child with signs of early puberty.

At Thanh Hoa Children's Hospital, we saw many children being examined and treated for early puberty. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien, Hac Thanh ward, said that seeing her son growing fast, his body odor changing, and having acne, she took him to Thanh Hoa Children's Hospital for examination. At the hospital, he was examined and tested, had X-rays taken, had hormones measured, and had his bone age measured. Ms. Hien shared: "When he was 8 years old, he grew fast, I thought he was more developed than his peers. Later, when I saw that he had unusual symptoms, I took him to a medical facility for examination. Now he is 9 years old, so we need to monitor him and do more tests, X-rays and measure his indicators to have appropriate intervention methods."

Or like baby THTN (Minh Son commune) showed signs of chest pain, breast development, acne, and faster than normal height growth. N.'s mother said that she was only 7 years old so the family did not think she had early puberty. At the hospital, she was ordered to do tests, measure hormones, and bone age. All indicators were in puberty - higher than her actual age. Therefore, the baby had to be treated and have puberty suppressed so that the hormone indicators returned to normal levels according to her age.

According to Dr. Nguyen Duy Thai, Head of the Department of Endocrinology - Allergy - Musculoskeletal System, precocious puberty is when a child starts showing signs of puberty before the age of 8 for girls and 9 for boys. The number of precocious puberty cases has increased in recent years and is being recorded at younger ages. Currently, the department treats precocious puberty for about 7-8 patients per day and examines about 10 new patients per day.

According to Dr. Nguyen Duy Thai, precocious puberty in children includes two types: peripheral precocious puberty is usually due to abnormal development and hormone secretion in the ovaries (girls) and testicles (boys); central precocious puberty is the maturation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis - this is true precocious puberty, more common in girls than boys.

Early puberty leads to consequences such as low height when growing up; affects the psychology because the child has rapid body changes, big difference compared to peers of the same age, easily creating shyness and insecurity. In particular, children are at risk of sexual abuse due to incomplete understanding of society, individuals, and gender.

The signs of early puberty in children are not difficult to recognize. For girls, puberty begins with signs such as: breast development, rapid growth in height and weight, followed by the appearance of pubic hair, armpit hair, vaginal discharge, and menstruation; while for boys, testicles develop, voice breaks, and pubic hair develops.

Some risk factors leading to early puberty in children include: inappropriate nutrition, frequent use of fast food, processed food, food containing stimulants. At the same time, social issues, living environment, especially exposure to chemicals such as: PPA, cosmetics, shampoo, shower gel, nail polish products, etc.

Children diagnosed with precocious puberty will be treated with puberty inhibitor injections from the time of detection until they stabilize to a normal developmental state according to their puberty age. Treatment must be carried out according to the doctor's regimen. Doctor CKII Nguyen Duy Thai, Head of the Department of Endocrinology - Allergy - Musculoskeletal, Thanh Hoa Children's Hospital, said: When detecting early puberty in their children, parents should not panic nor be subjective. Parents need to go to a medical facility for examination, monitoring and treatment. Because, to determine early puberty, doctors need to conduct clinical examinations and careful assessments using specialized techniques and tests. Early examination and appropriate and effective treatment regimens can still control the rate of puberty, maintain height development and age-appropriate psychology.

To prevent early puberty and reduce negative impacts on children, the family plays an important role. Parents and caregivers need to proactively build a scientific lifestyle, balanced nutrition, prioritize fresh foods, increase green vegetables, fruits, limit fast food, fried foods, soft drinks. At the same time, encourage children to exercise regularly, practice sports, get enough sleep and on time.

At the same time, parents need to monitor their children for unusual signs and take them to the doctor immediately when in doubt. Parents should also talk openly, provide scientific knowledge, psychology, and sex education to children; let children participate in classes that equip them with self-protection skills and how to respond to situations related to sex. Along with that, schools also need to coordinate closely with families, integrate reproductive health education into extracurricular activities, and create a psychological support environment for students.

Early puberty is a biological phenomenon, but its consequences go far beyond the medical field, affecting the safety, personality and future of children. Every family, every school, every community needs to consider protecting the harmonious development of children as a top priority. Because when a generation grows up in accordance with nature, it is not only the foundation for health, but also the premise for a sustainable development of society.

Article and photos: Thuy Linh

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/khi-tre-khong-truong-thanh-dung-nhip-tu-nhien-259327.htm