Thyroid hypoplasia is a term that refers to congenital underdevelopment of the organ, namely congenital. After all, if thyroid malfunctions begin to manifest in adulthood, we are talking about atrophy, not hypoplasia.
Underdevelopment of tissues is sometimes unilateral, and sometimes bilateral. In any case, the lack of the hormones that it produces leads to unwanted developmental abnormalities.
We consider in the article the causes, symptoms of thyroid hypoplasia, the treatment of this anomaly in adolescents and children, and also what will happen if the disease is not treated.
The structure and function of the thyroid gland
In the fetus, thyroid tissue is laid at 4-6 weeks of gestation. Gland cells (thyrocytes) produce 2 important substances: triiodothyronine and tetraiodothyronine. These elements are needed for metabolic processes, for the growth and development of the body, for the normal functioning of the nervous and cardiovascular systems.
The iron consists of the right and left lobes connected by the isthmus. The organ is located under the larynx and is attached to the trachea with a special tissue - connective.
The upper horns of the lobes are narrow, diverging and high. And the lower ones are short and wide. The thyroid gland is sometimes called the butterfly gland, the whole thing is in its shape. In an adult male, the normal volume of the gland is up to 25 ml, and in women below - up to 18 ml. The weight of the gland varies between 15-30 g. Such structures of the brain as the pituitary and hypothalamus control the entire activity of the organ.
Her cells are constantly in work, maintaining a normal hormonal background in the body. The slightest changes in the hormonal background lead to metabolic disorders.
What processes in the body iron is responsible for? Its functions:
- Provides the development of the nervous system in children.
- Hormones increase strength and heart rate.
- Thyroxine lowers blood cholesterol in adults.
- It provides energy for muscle work.
- Maintains a constant body temperature.
- Provides stress resistance of the body.
- Affects protein synthesis.
- Her work is reflected in sexual function in adolescence.
The cause of the pathology in most cases is the lack of thyroid hormones in the mother during pregnancy. Perhaps the woman had some gland dysfunction associated with iodine deficiency, and this led to fetal hypoplasia.
The bad ecological situation badly spoils the thyroid gland in adult women of childbearing age. It also affects the health status of the fetus. But it happens that the anomaly is typical of the family and the cause is heredity.
Degrees of abnormal development
Underdeveloped organ in children is more common to a mild degree. But there is also a severe degree, when the body is severely deficient in thyroid hormones. How to determine how disrupted the thyroid gland? Hypoplasia of the left lobe, with a normally developed right lobe, or vice versa, is not a very serious pathology. Anomalies in development may not occur at all in childhood. Signs will tell later - in the puberty period of development. Thyroid hypoplasia in adolescents under 15 years of age is most often diagnosed as unilateral. Since the bilateral is immediately noticeable. Literally 3-4 weeks after birth, the baby weakens due to an acute lack of hormones.
Hormone deficiency in a child
What does the thyroid gland cause? Hypoplasia in a child can be the cause of many developmental abnormalities.
Congenital anomalies, in particular hypoplasia, disrupt the development of bones and internal organs in a child, affect the formation of the nervous system. The lack of important hormones affects the mental development of the child.
If hypoplasia of the 2nd degree is detected, then violations are noticeable already in infancy. The child does not eat well, his face is swollen. Such a baby does not respond to sounds, it moves little and looks lethargic. To normalize the developmental processes of the baby, it is necessary to immediately begin treatment.
What other physiological processes are affected by thyroid hypoplasia in children? In such small patients, there is muscle hypotension, a delay in psychomotor development, impaired bone growth.
Thyroid hypoplasia in adolescents is not so pronounced. Teenagers often complain of weakness and drowsiness, but we will discuss this below.
Acute shortage of hormones
In acute thyroid deficiency, a newborn baby remains icteric for a long time. His face and body are extremely swollen. Such a baby is born very large - weighing more than 4 kg. Previously, when there was no hormone replacement therapy, these children developed cretinism. They developed poorly and were not adapted to society.
They later learn to walk, speak poorly. And due to edema of the inner ear, which is a common complication with this disease, they can lose their hearing. Outwardly, these children look like this: they have a disproportionately small body compared to a large head, and a large swollen stomach with an incorrectly located and poorly overgrown navel. They are absolutely not able to study in a normal school. But now all this is being treated.
Signs of puberty hypoplasia
Thyroid underdevelopment can make itself felt when secondary sexual characteristics begin to develop, namely in adolescence.
Parents should notice drowsiness and strange apathy, not inherent in the teenager before. Problems with the development of secondary sexual characteristics may occur or hearing loss may be observed.
Signs of thyroid hypoplasia in this period of development of children:
- fast fatiguability;
- poor memory and, accordingly, learning problems;
- low temperature, fatigue;
- constipation
- lack of normal appetite.
There are some more distinctive symptoms of thyroid hypoplasia in adolescents. Such a child is usually lower and weaker than his peers. In the mental sphere, the problem is manifested by a depressed depressed state and self-doubt.
Consequences of hypoplasia for a teenager
In adolescents who were born with a mild form of pathology (physiological underdevelopment of the right or left lobe), some signs of a lack of thyroid hormone will begin to appear. At this time, when the body is being rebuilt, the need for hormones increases disproportionately. But since the poorly developed thyroid gland does poorly with this task, the student will experience many problems.
Hypoplasia of the thyroid gland in a 17-year-old teenager is already a running problem. He will not only lag behind his classmates in physiological development, but will also suffer from psychological complexes. After all, an abnormality of the gland is reflected in the ability to engage in sports, learning abilities. And what is most painful for this age is on the genital area.
Long-running, unexplored thyroid hypoplasia in adolescents leads to problems in adulthood. One of the common consequences can be heart failure. If the hormonal sphere suffers more from a lack of functions, then a teenager may not have children in the future.
Where to deal with such a problem?
All diseases and abnormalities of the development of the organ are considered by the endocrinologist. If parents have a suspicion of hypoplasia of the thyroid gland in a teenager, he must be urgently taken for examination. The endocrinologist determines the rate of thyroid-stimulating hormones for each individually, because the norms are different depending on the weight and height, and then he prescribes the drugs. Usually, when hormones are not enough, the doctor first prescribes an examination to understand how serious the deficiency is. And then prescribes hormonal drugs.
Diagnostics
An abnormality of the development of the thyroid gland can be found by making an ultrasound. This is a safe study and the most informative, which gives all the necessary information: the size of the gland, the degree of its underdevelopment.
The second thing that doctors need to make a diagnosis is to see the content of thyroid hormone in the blood. If it is not enough, it means that the body definitely has problems with the thyroid gland. Usually, a few days after birth, a couple of drops of blood are taken from the baby and the following indicators are looked at: TSH, T3, T4. A pregnant woman takes a placenta blood test to find out the level of thyroxine in the fetus.
The teenager can also be sent for such an analysis as a biopsy of the thyroid tissue. And, of course, the fastest test option is palpation. Thyroid hypoplasia in adolescents under 16 years of age and older can be detected by touch. If one lobe is smaller than the other, or both lobes are slightly reduced compared to the norm, then it makes sense to appoint a blood test.
The disadvantage of T3 and T4. Complications
We list the very dangerous complications that can occur as a result of a prolonged lack of thyroid-stimulating hormones: T3, T4.
- hearing loss;
- infertility;
- heart failure;
- bradycardia;
- disproportionate body, dwarfism;
- in girls, menstrual irregularities;
- persistent hypothermia;
- renal failure.
Separately, it is necessary to mention the effect of anomalies on the work of the heart. From a lack of hormone, the tone of the arteries increases, the vascular resistance increases, and the stroke volume of the blood decreases. Doctors often register a too slow heart rate in adolescent thyroid gland hypoplasia. This is called bradycardia. For the heart, all these factors are very dangerous. Although dangerous is not only a low hormone content, but also an increased one.
Helping adults with hypoplasia
The very first help a parent can provide is to calm the child. He should know that his condition is not very different from the norm, that this is not for life, but only a temporary illness. After all, with the help of hormone replacement therapy, the body restores all its functions.
But you can’t blame your son or daughter for poor performance at school. After all, such a teenager did not "slide" in his studies because of laziness, but because of his state of health.
Such a teenager needs a full sleep, an adequate load. He should not experience severe stress, otherwise the thyroid gland will work even worse than before. After all, the psyche and level of stress resistance are strongly associated with thyroid hormones.
Predictions for adolescent hypoplasia
Nowadays, the underdevelopment of gland tissue is not a difficult medical problem. And if the anomaly is detected in childhood, then there will be no difficulties with treatment. The prognosis for thyroid hypoplasia, the treatment of which has already begun, is very favorable. But the situation will worsen if a teenager came to the study already when some irreversible changes accumulated in the body. Such as heart and metabolic problems.
Treatment, prevention, expert advice
Prevention is a well-chosen diet in which there is a sufficient amount of iodine. For treatment, you must constantly take hormones in the form of tablets. L-thyroxine should be taken only at the doses indicated by the attending physician. If you take it irregularly, the teenager is threatened with hormonal jumps, which will cause the mental sphere to suffer.
Doctors advise taking iodine medications, and the mother needs to start the course before planning pregnancy.
In addition to hormone replacement therapy, constant physical exercise is necessary. The best exercise is considered gymnastics or jogging in the morning - 2 or 3 times a week. It will be useful to conduct a massage course to raise the emotional background and to eliminate muscle hypotension.
With thyroid hypoplasia in adolescents up to 13 years old, it is important to send them to the sea every year, and preferably 2 times a year, so that he breathes a lot of iodized sea air. Doctors also advise regular therapeutic inhalations.
Food
Note that the T3 index has 3 iodine atoms, and it is called triiodothyronine. And T4 - respectively 4 atoms and is called tetraiodothyronine.
If thyroid hypoplasia is detected in a teenager, he needs to eat a lot of kelp - seaweed and seafood. Buckwheat is useful for cereals. Fruits such as persimmons and prunes, as well as spinach, contain a lot of iodine. You need to eat carrots, eggplant, beets. And it’s better to cook steamed vegetables so that the beneficial substances remain in the composition.
Recall that 90% of all iodine enters the body through food. Without this trace element, the body is not saturated with energy and weakens.
But there are products that are contraindicated for abnormalities of the thyroid gland. You can not eat sweets: cake, cakes, carbonated juices with sugar and white flour pastries.
conclusions
It can be concluded that thyroid hypoplasia in adolescents and young children causes serious developmental abnormalities.
The production of hormones by the pituitary and hypothalamus is controlled, which give a signal to the thyroid gland so that it produces T3 and T4.
Treatment largely depends on a change in diet, establishing a schedule of work and rest. When a sharp drop in hormone levels is detected, L-thyroxine is prescribed by the endocrinologist. Without hormone replacement therapy, a teenager will have health problems in the future, such as heart failure and infertility.