Growth Disorders due to Deficiency of Insulin like Growth Factor

Growth Disorders due to Deficiency of Insulin like Growth Factor

Introduction

Growth is the essential process of development of body in the human beings. It involves the change in the size of body related to the maturation of the children and adolescents physically. In the growth and development of the children and adolescents, the various hormones contribute the major role. In deficiency or inadequate level of any hormone leads to emergence of certain defects causing permanent or temporary disorders in the body of children and adolescents. Some children possess the slow rate of growth due to the deficiency of insulin like growth factor (IGF). Such deficiency causes various disorders in the body of children and adolescents that include short stature, brain disabilities, obesity, and malignant tumor (Bergman et al, 2013).

Discussion

The strong indication of the normal well being of the children and adolescents is the mental and physical growth. The synthesis of the chemical constituents, hormones, along with the overall health status, nutrition, genetic background, and environment determine the growth of each individual. The most important factor of growth is the involvement of hormones. Hormones perform functions via releasing into the stream of blood and travelling to the target tissues and organs through blood. The major hormone in this regard is Growth Hormone, promoting the development of the body. Growth hormone releasing from the pituitary gland in brain, stimulates the production of IGF. Liver secrets this IGF hormone, into the blood. IGF causes the growth of bones by producing locally. IGF possesses the potential influence on the growth promotion. It has been observed that about two third of the growth depends on the effects produced by IGF.

Etiology of IGF Deficiency

At the level of growth hormone receptor, the impaired or blocked action of the growth hormone causes the deficiency of insulin like growth factor. As a result, very little amount of IGF is produced in the body causing the particular type of growth defects, which illustrates that the person has great deficiency of the growth hormone. The person exhibits the stunted growth. On the other hand, such individuals possess the normal level of growth hormone along with the deficient concentration of the insulin like growth factor hormone. The reason could be liver disease, malnutrition or mutation of the gene allied to the production of IGF(Holly & Perks, 2012).

Population

Children and adolescents, with the age from 0 to 18 years, possess the high risk to suffer from the defects of the IGF deficiency. The deficiency of IGF causes various problems in normal growth of the individual including the short stature as the significant one. The growth disorders developed by the IGF deficiency include the genetic factor. The race, ethnicity and cultural background also influence the disorders. Some of the adults also get affected from the deficiency of IGF. However, pediatrics is the most effective group from the disorder. The inadequate provision of nutrition is the major aspect with people related to a particular ethnic ...