Thyroid diseases do not only affect adults, children and babies can also suffer from them, sometimes with serious consequences.
A disorder of the thyroid function can have various causes, in addition to underfunction and overfunction, Hashimoto's inflammation.
It is important to recognize the symptoms caused by the thyroid gland in good time and to treat those affected accordingly with hormone preparations.
Without therapy, they often suffer from a wide variety of symptoms that can have a serious impact on everyday life.
Thyroid disease can even be dangerous for children.
Hypothyroidism: If left untreated, the condition can lead to impaired speech development in children
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If congenital hypothyroidism is only recognized and treated later, at three to six months of age, there is a high risk that the child will suffer permanent damage.
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© Smith/Imago
There are children who are born without a thyroid gland, so-called athyroidism, and thus develop congenital hypothyroidism.
In other newborns, the thyroid gland may be defective (thyroid dysplasia) or the thyroid may not produce enough thyroid hormone to begin with.
What pregnant women in particular often do not know: if you receive too high a dose of therapy against an overactive thyroid gland, your unborn baby can develop an underactive thyroid gland, as
Netdoktor
says.
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Hypothyroidism: what are the dangers of the disease for babies and children?
If congenital hypothyroidism is recognized after birth and treated immediately, the affected babies will develop normally.
Children with congenital hypothyroidism also have to be treated daily with the missing thyroid hormone.
If there is no treatment and the congenital underactive thyroid is only recognized later, at the age of three to six months, there is a high risk that the child will suffer permanent damage.
According to
Netdoktor
, thyroid hormones are important for body growth and brain maturation.
Thus, congenital hypothyroidism that is untreated or treated too late poses a risk for the growing child that should not be underestimated.
A disorder of the thyroid gland can result in short stature as well as serious mental development disorders.
Language development disorders are also typical.
Hypothyroidism: 11 foods that make sense for Hashimoto's: peppers, tomato, pineapple
Hypothyroidism: 11 foods that make sense for Hashimoto's: peppers, tomato, pineapple
If the thyroid hormone therapy is started too late in the affected child, only short stature can be inhibited.
However, the brain damage caused by the hypothyroidism remains.
Doctors call this severe form of untreated hypothyroidism “cretinism”.
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. In no way does it replace a visit to the doctor. Unfortunately, our editors are not allowed to answer individual questions about clinical pictures.
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