The Pituitary Gland is situated at the base of the brain and it produces hormones which
control growth. Too large an amount of these hormones causes giantism, a condition where
facial features, hands, etc. become abnormally large. Too little causes dwarfism, where
the overall stature of a person is very small.
Dwarfism is the condition of being undersized, or less than 127 cm (50 in) in height.
Some dwarfs have been less than 64 cm (24 in) in height when fully grown. The word midget
is usually applied to dwarfs. Another growth disorder disease is Cretinism which is a
result of a disease of the thyroid gland it is the cause of most dwarfism in Europe,
Canada, and the United States. Other causes of dwarfism are Down's syndrome, a congenital
condition with symptoms similar to those of cretinism, achondroplasia, a disease
characterized by short extremities resulting from absorption of cartilaginous tissue
during the fetal stage, spinal tuberculosis, and deficiency of the secretions of the
pituitary gland or of the ovary.
Causes of pituitary dwarfism may vary. Abnormally short height in childhood may be due
to the pituitary gland not functioning correctly, resulting in underproduction of growth
hormone. This may result from a tumor in the pituitary gland, absence of the pituitary
gland, or trauma.
Growth retardation may become evident in infancy and persists throughout childhood.
Normal puberty may or may not occur depending on the degree of pituitary insufficiency
that is present, which is the inability of the pituitary to produce adequate hormone
levels other than growth hormone.
Physical defects of the face and skull may also be associated with abnormalities of the
pituitary gland. A small percentage of infants with cleft lip and cleft palate may have
decreased growth hormone levels.
No ideal treatment has been developed yet for pituitary dwarfism. Replacement therapy
with growth hormone is indicated for children who have documented growth hormone
deficiency. If the deficiency is an isolated growth hormone deficiency only growth
hormone is given. If the deficiency is not isolated other hormone replacement
preparations will be required.
There are a few complications of pituitary dwarfism. Some are short stature and delayed
puberty development. Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease has been acquired from cadaver derived
growth hormone which is no longer available. Synthetic growth hormone is now available
which is free of all infectious disease risk.
Pituitary dwarfism is a sad disease to see a person have. Most cases are not
preventable. The future may look good for the disease though. Medical breakthroughs are
always happening. It may not be easy but doctors are constantly in a lab somewhere
working on these terrible disorders and diseases such as pituitary dwarfism.
|