Lionel Messi suffered from growth hormone deficiency

At the age of 11, Lionel Messi suffered from growth hormone deficiency, a disease in which early detection is important.

Lionel Messi underwent growth hormone treatment. Photo source: Instagram

Professional football player Lionel Messi is injected into his leg every night with growth hormones, News9Live writes.

Growth hormone deficiency, also known as dwarfism or pituitary dwarfism, is a condition caused by insufficient growth hormone in the body and occurs when the pituitary gland produces too little of the hormone. To treat this condition, the patient is given hormone replacement therapy.

Dr Suranjeet Chatterjee, senior consultant, internal medicine, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, explained that the condition stops all types of growth in the body. “The human body undergoes a number of changes as it grows. If someone suffers from this condition, the growth process will be delayed. These processes include muscle growth, neurological growth, bone growth, etc.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, children with nuns have abnormally short stature with normal body proportions. The disease may be present at birth (congenital) or develop later (acquired). The condition occurs when the pituitary gland produces too little growth hormone. It can also be the result of genetic defects, severe brain damage, or being born without a pituitary gland. In some cases, a clear cause is not identified. Sometimes growth hormone deficiency can be associated with lower levels of other hormones, such as vasopressin (controls the production of water in the body), gonadotropins (controls the production of male and female sex hormones), thyrotropins (controls the production of sex hormones). thyroid hormones) or adrenocorticotropic hormone (which controls the adrenal glands and related hormones).

How can this condition be completely cured?

Dr. Chatterjee emphasizes the need for early detection and explains that to treat this condition, the patient needs to undergo hormone replacement therapy.

Treatment for growth hormone deficiency in both children and adults includes injections (shots) of synthetic growth hormone at home.

These people most often require a daily injection. Treatment with synthetic growth hormones is long-term, often lasting several years.

The doctor monitors the treatment to see if it is working and if the dose of the medication needs to be adjusted. However, according to Dr. Chatterjee, treatment cannot completely cure the disorder.

“The patient is likely to live a normal life with the prescribed treatment, but other aspects related to the stage of the disease and the cause of the disorder must be considered.”

The diagnosis in children occurs most often in two age ranges. The first is around 5 years old, when children start school. This is because parents can more easily see how their child's height compares to that of their peers.

The second age range is 10 to 13 years for girls and 12 to 16 years for boys, these are the age ranges when puberty typically begins.

Delayed puberty may indicate a suspected growth hormone deficiency.

Normal growth levels usually follow a certain pattern, and if growth over a recorded period of six to twelve months is within these limits, a deficiency is unlikely.

Growth hormone deficiency in adults is often difficult to detect because the symptoms are subtle and common.