Dr. Swetha Reddy Y

ADHD or Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder refers to those psychological disorders, which significantly alter a child's behavior and considerably affects his or her relationships with others. This condition is seldom preceded by perceptible symptoms and even when they do, they are difficult to decipher. However some of them are:

1. Self-centered: Those children who suffer from the attention deficit hyperactivity syndrome tend to be encapsulated in their own subjectivity. Though this does seem harmless apparently, this tendency may lead them to be insensitive to other's needs and wants.
2. Emotional outbursts: ADHD makes children extremely susceptible to frequent emotional outbursts and makes them erratic.
3. Difficulty in concentration: Children who suffer from ADHD face extreme difficulty in concentrating or focusing on things. Many a times they fail to repeat what was told to them.

There might be several causes which can contribute to the development of this disorder. Some of them are:

1. A drastic change in the child's lives: A sudden or a drastic change like the divorce of parents may severely affect the child and maim him emotionally. This may lead to the development of this disorder.
2. Depression: Though always associated with adults, depression can be and is common among children as well. In such instances, a consequent development of ADHD is highly plausible.
3. Bipolar disorder: Bipolar disorder refers to excessive and incomprehensible mood swings. Many children suffer from it in their early lives, making them susceptible to ADHD.

Notwithstanding the ambiguity and the erratic nature of the disorder, there might be preventive measures which parents might adopt to deter the outbreak of the disorder. Some of them are:

1. Less use of preservatives: Parents must be careful about what their children eat. Those foods which contain a certain amount of preservatives tend to aggravate the disorder thereby causing more harm than good.
2. Consider alternative forms of medications: Another way of dealing with this problem is by exploring other forms of medications and not sticking to one form. In this respect, practicing yoga may be very beneficial.

Growth hormone or somatropin is responsible for cell growth as well as reproduction. But insufficient somatropin production by the pituitary gland may result in lack in height. It is mostly caused by a serious brain injury, any prevalent medical condition or might occur as a birth defect.

Types:

1. Congenital GHD - This form of GHD appears from at the time of birth itself.
2. Acquired GHD- GHD can be acquired during later life as a result of trauma, infection, tumor growth within the brain or radiation therapy.
3. Idiopathic GHD- Idiopathic GHD is the third, and comparatively worst kind of GHD since it has no treatment.

GHD is mostly permanent, but can also be transient. Read on to know how to detect whether you or your child is suffering from growth hormone deficiency (GHD).

Symptoms:
Childhood onset

1. Restricted height- Compared to other children of your child's age, he/she may be of shorter height, which is a rather conclusive sign to detect somatropin deficiency.
2. Chubby and comparatively younger appearance- Your child may have a proportionate body, but if he/she is unnaturally chubby and has a baby-face compared to other children, he/she may be suffering from GHD.
3. Late puberty- Your child's puberty maybe later than usual or even not appear at all, depending upon the gravity of the GHD.
4. Hypoglycemia and exaggerated jaundice- Low blood sugar is amongst the most primary manifestations of GHD, along with extended duration of jaundice.
5. Micro-penis- Micro penis condition is one of the incident signs of GHD, which later escalates to growth deficit as the infant gets older.

Adult onset:

1. Fatigue- Adults with GHD may experience extreme tiredness throughout the day, with reduced muscle strength.
2. Osteoporosis- Osteoporosis, along with bodily deformities, is a common sign in adults with GHD.
3. Lipid abnormalities- A test of your lipid profile may reveal abnormalities in LDL cholesterol, insulin resistance, and impaired cardiac functions.

Tests to determine GHD:

1. Physical test- A chart is drawn to determine the proportion of height and weight with respect to your age to detect anomalies.
2. Hand X-ray- A hand X-ray can determine whether the age of bones are at par with your age.
3. MRI-MRI scan can determine the health of your brain and pituitary gland.
4. Test for other hormones- Growth Hormone may not be solely responsible for your health condition, so it is important to determine if other hormone levels are all normal.

Treatment:

1. Hormone supplements- Hormone supplements like corticosteroids (hydrocortisone or prednisone), Levothyroxine (levoxyl, synthroid, etc), and others work to replenish the deficiency of pituitary hormones.
2. Growth hormone injection- GH is injected beneath your skin, to cure GDH. This is a long-term treatment and requires constant monitoring.

A nutritional disorder, the problem of rickets occurs if your child suffers from a deficiency of calcium, phosphate or Vitamin D. It causes softened and damaged bones, skeletal deformities, impaired development of the bone's growth plate (a spot of growing tissue found near the end of a long bone in adolescents and children) and stunted growth.

Here are few very simple ways you can prevent your child from getting it:

1. Having Vitamin D and calcium rich foods - One of the best ways to prevent this nutritional disorder from affecting your child is by making sure he or she have foods that are high in Vitamin D and calcium. Egg yolks, fish oil or fatty fish like salmon and mackerel are some of the Vitamin D foods that your child can have to strengthen his bones. Even foods that have Vitamin D added to it such as cereals, orange juice, milk and infant formula can also be given to your child. Sources of calcium can be soyabeans, nuts, broccoli, cabbage, cheese and yoghurt.

2. Going out in the sun - Considered to be an excellent source of Vitamin D, getting your child exposed to sunlight is another excellent way of getting most of this nutrient, as well as preventing him or her from developing rickets. Although the exposure time may vary from individual to individual, about 10-15 minutes of sun exposure without sunscreen can help.

3. Having Vitamin D supplements - Even the consumption of Vitamin D supplements can reduce your child's risk of getting rickets. Since mother's milk contains less than the recommended Vitamin D amount, infants too need to be put on Vitamin D supplements of 400 IU each day. For teenagers and young children, the recommended dosage is 600 IU of Vitamin D every day.

Tip: How To Recognise a STROKE, Before it's Too Late!

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Anxiety is a common issue with growing teenagers. It is not the typical anxiety before exams or academic projects. It is more than that. Anxiety may be the result of the hormonal changes, which predominantly affect the adolescent years of growth. While your body copes with different changes, your mind tangles between the future liberty and present restrictions. Knowing certain facts about this anxiety trail can help you to cope with it.

1. Anxiety is not always a disease: Anxiety is not always a disease. It is a normal phenomenon among adolescent teenagers. However, in certain cases it may be severe for some teenagers. They may feel crippled with anxiety. Under such cases, one would require psychiatric help.

2. Talk to someone: A great way to relieve yourself from stress due to anxiety is to speak with someone. It can be a friend or someone close to share your thoughts. If you know the reason of your anxiety, share it, discuss it. You will definitely feel better.

3. Take a break: Entertainment and break from academic work and schedule is necessary for teenagers to lower anxiety traits. However, if the anxiety is due to peers, you may even take a break from them and engage in family.

4. Cry out loud: It is not a silly thing to cry when you are stressed under anxiety. Crying is an emotional outburst which essentially relieves the stress due to anxiety and lets you control the emotional disturbed state of mind.

5. Good sleep: Sleep is necessary for both mental and physical rest. You need to overcome from the fatigue of routine works, stressful events, peer factor, etc. Catching the essential 8 hour sleep is a great way to overcome anxiety issues.

6. Don’t be conscious: Anxiety is a common factor among all your peers. You are not the only one coping with anxiety stress. So, take it light. Relax and don’t be conscious about your anxiety problems. Consider them to be temporary.

7. Be confident: Losing confidence under the stress due to anxiety can be even more disastrous. The effects will never be better. So be confident about whatever you do, whether right or wrong. Every person learns from his own activities. Whether right or wrong, everything will give you a lesson. So you will never be a loser, you will win a lesson.

8. Don’t feel stupid: Being stressed with anxiety is not abnormal or stupid. Everything is okay with you, and you are not the stupid fellow out there.

9. You are not weak: Anxiety is not a sign of weakness. You can rather make it your strength. Fight it back and keep your energy and enthusiasm high.

10. Anxiety is temporary: As you move ahead of the adolescent period, anxiety will faint. You will be more confident and matured, able to tackle anxiety. So consider it to be an affair of a few years. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a psychiatrist.

Fever in children is a very common phenomenon, but still parents absolutely dread it. It can completely break your heart to suddenly see a happy, healthy child not getting up from the bed. Your first instinct when that thermometer crosses that dreaded 100 degrees F is to rush to the doctor for an immediate cure. That is probably the best remedy as a doctor can often catch additional signs of any disease that you may miss out on. Beyond that, here is how you can understand about fever in children better and how you can help. Technically, your child has fever when the body temperature crosses 100.4 degrees F.
 
Some children manage to stay active even then, but slowly get bogged down with muscle pain or other accompanying symptoms like cold, diarrhea, vomiting etc. 

• Causes: Fever is normally caused by the body's reaction to fighting an infection. (That is why most doctors say it's a sign of a robust immune system). When the body's natural defense system is stimulated, the core inner temperature rises, thereby making it harder for the bacteria and viruses that caused the infection to survive. Most fever subside on their own but that's a tough thing to accept as a parent who only wants to see their child up and running as soon as possible.
• What you can do: Keep an eye on that temperature obviously. You need to find a doctor the moment the fever crosses the threshold temperature (101+ for less than three months olds, 102+ for 3-6 month olds and over 102 for older children). You should also see a doctor if there are accompanying symptoms or if you've given a dose of Paracetamol but the fever shows no sign of subsiding. It might happen at midnight and beyond, when no regular pediatrician is unavailable. So it is best to find out which hospital has an emergency center capable of handling such eventualities near your home. 
• Fever medications: It is super important for parents to know that fever medications must be given in the correct dose at the right times based on a child's weight, age, and overall health. An overdose can lead you straight to the emergency room. Don't mix a cold/cough medication that also has a fever medication in it. 
• Home remedies: Encourage your child to drink as much fluids as possible to prevent dehydration. Some doctors advise complete body sponging to bring down the temperature and this can be done as long as it doesn't cool the body too suddenly (there are contradictory notes on this practice, so do consult you doctor before your do this).

 As parent, it is important you equip yourself with the right knowledge before you provide treatment to your child.